"There must be a ton of people wanting to adopt these three shiny Ghost-type Pokémon, right?" Edward asked Headmistress Lillian with curiosity.
Shiny Pokémon weren't just rare in the games—they were incredibly difficult to find in real life, too. Because of this, shiny Pokémon were immensely popular, the kind many trainers dreamed of owning. And even if someone didn't plan to train one themselves, secretly selling a shiny Pokémon could fetch an enormous profit.
So, whenever a shiny Pokémon appeared in the wild, it usually didn't take long before someone caught it. Seeing that Headmistress Lillian now had three of them, Edward could already imagine hordes of eager adopters practically sprinting to the orphanage.
"Actually, not yet," Headmistress Lillian said with a shrug. "Because of the special status of these shiny Pokémon, the League imposed extremely strict adoption conditions. So far, not a single application has passed their review."
When it came to special Pokémon, the League always set tight restrictions to prevent ill-intentioned people from trying to adopt them for profit or misuse.
These three Pokémon ones were clearly under such protections.
Edward wasn't particularly bothered. He knew that with his current status, if he wanted to adopt a Pokémon, the League would never stop him. In fact, they'd probably rush to deliver it to him. After all, he still held a one-time privilege that allowed him to choose any Pokémon.
"Can I take a look at them first?" Edward asked with growing interest. Shiny Pokémon were rare—so rare that even the wealthiest people might never encounter one in the wild. And now there were three right in front of him? Too rare to pass up.
"Of course," Headmistress Lillian replied, leading Edward into the care center. Along the way, Edward picked up Q, who was itching to challenge Salamence to a fight. He gently patted Q's head to calm it down.
Soon, Headmistress Lillian brought Edward to a specially-designed room. Though the room was mostly empty, Edward knew it was made to contain Ghost-type Pokémon. Due to their unique nature, Ghost-types could merge with their surroundings and become hard to detect.
"Ahhh!" a sharp screech pierced the air, followed by a ghoulish face that suddenly lunged out from the darkness, rushing straight at Edward.
"Kyu!" Q let out an angry cry and instantly conjured a massive Shadow Ball, about the size of a winter melon. The attack made the ghoulish face halt immediately. A Gengar emerged, eyeing Q warily—its eyes betraying a hint of fear.
That Shadow Ball… that much energy packed into it… if it hit…
"Lass?" A Froslass floated out next, staring curiously at Q, then shifting her gaze to Edward, then back to Q. Finally, a Duskull emerged as well. The three Ghost Pokémon locked eyes with Edward, staring at him in unison.
"Because these three are Ghost-types, the League specifically requested they be housed in this room to keep them from escaping," Headmistress Lillian explained.
Edward nodded. From the moment he saw the room, he'd already guessed its purpose: to prevent Ghost-types from slipping away. Regular walls were meaningless to wild Pokémon, especially to Ghost-types, who loved pranks and mischief. Letting them roam freely would definitely cause headaches for nearby residents.
But the real concern was their safety.
While the orphanage was relatively secure, if these Pokémon escaped, they'd likely become targets for Pokémon hunters and trainers alike—a dangerous situation. Of course, if the three had been wild Pokémon, the League would've likely released them back into the wild.
"That Froslass… she's a bit special," came a voice in Edward's ear—it was Boss Gengar.
Edward wasn't surprised. Boss Gengar had left a mark on Edward's body and was currently residing in his shadow. It had done this so it could immediately appear if Edward ran into trouble—or rather, if it suddenly needed fear candy... wait, no, to help Edward with any danger.
"What do you mean?" Edward asked curiously.
Headmistress Lillian glanced at him in confusion. But before she could ask anything, a massive Gengar emerged from Edward's shadow. Its intensely solid body and overwhelming aura made Headmistress Lillian tense.
This Gengar…
Was it that apex Pokémon from the Petalburg Woods?
As Boss Gengar appeared, the three shiny Ghost-types immediately shrank back in fear. They wanted to flee, but Boss Gengar's energy surged out, locking them in place. Its power even overwhelmed the League's protective ghost barriers.
"This Froslass… she has an aura very similar to mine," Boss Gengar said, eyeing her with interest. He could sense a dominant-level presence in her—a kinship of sorts.
Edward paused. Similar to Boss Gengar? A apex?
He looked over at the Froslass. That couldn't be right. If she were truly a apex Pokémon, those poachers would've already been fertilizer.
Apex Pokémon earned the title because of their overwhelming power.
"Who is this…?" Headmistress Lillian couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, right! Headmistress Lillian, this is Boss Gengar, the Apex Pokémon from Petalburg Woods," Edward quickly explained.
He had originally planned to bring Boss Gengar along later when they started filming, especially for creating space scenes in the movie. Boss Gengar's ability to suppress all sound in its aura made it perfect for such special effects.
But Boss Gengar had insisted on tagging along now, and Edward hadn't had the heart—or ability—to refuse.
Boss Gengar glanced at Headmistress Lillian, then quickly looked away.
This human isn't bad. The Poké Balls on her belt carry strong energy, it noted to itself—but didn't really care.
Boss Gengar wasn't your average apex Pokémon.
"So, Edward, are you thinking of adopting one?" Headmistress Lillian asked, glancing at the towering Boss Gengar beside him.
If Edward had already grown this close to such a powerful Pokémon, then it wasn't surprising that he still only had two Pokémon under his name.
Although…
Her eyes drifted toward Edward's waist, where a luxury Poké Ball was clipped.
What kind of Pokémon is in there?
It couldn't be this Gengar, right?
She had no idea about Groudon.
(End of Chapter)
(TN: Starting this chapter I'll add Boss to the Apex Gengar to differentiate him for other gengars. It was originally named Mr. Gengar in the raws actually but the first translator removed it and I never noticed it till like chapter 200s.)