Kairos ignored his shocked teammates behind him.
He walked over to the massive Trevenant corpse and pulled out a Poké Ball. The enormous body dissolved into red light and vanished into the ball, which clicked shut without so much as a wobble.
For an Elite-level Ghost-type Pokémon, injuries like these weren't fatal, though they were pretty serious. He'd need to get someone from the Ghost World to heal this Trevenant later. After all, it had only attacked because of the Ghost Tide's influence and was basically innocent.
Meanwhile, Chandelure's flames lit up the gaps between several nearby rocks.
"Come out. It's safe now."
Kairos pocketed the Poké Ball and called toward the crevice.
A moment later, three young people in black uniforms stumbled out from behind the rocks, supporting each other. Their faces were pale, clearly still shaken from being hunted by the Trevenant.
They were all injured and looked exhausted, obviously pushed to their limits during Trevenant's pursuit.
When they saw the massive, charred remains of the Trevenant on the ground, and Kairos standing beside it with his ghostly red-flamed Chandelure hovering nearby, their shock matched that of Rex and the others.
"Did... did you save us?"
The lead teenager, blood streaking his face, asked in a raspy voice, his eyes filled with gratitude and disbelief.
"Don't worry about it. Just happened to be passing by," Kairos said briefly, pointing at the supply crate Rex was carrying.
"We're delivering supplies to the Third Outpost. Come with us."
The three Night Watchers snapped out of their daze and quickly nodded, staring at Kairos in confusion.
They simply couldn't understand how this young man could have taken down that Trevenant.
Could he actually be some powerful expert in disguise?
Ghost-type and Psychic-type Pokémon trainers could pull off something like this pretty easily.
Yeah, that had to be it.
With these three Ghost World survivors joining them, they continued toward the Third Outpost under Kairos's lead.
This time, Rex, Lena, and Barton followed silently behind Kairos, not daring to voice a single doubt or even breathe too loud.
They kept exchanging glances, and the meaning behind their silent communication was obvious.
The rest of the trip went surprisingly smoothly.
Kairos always managed to avoid those crazed Ghost swarms and chaotic energy zones ahead of time, large and small.
Occasionally, when they ran into scattered, reckless frenzied Pokémon, Kairos didn't even need to lift a finger. Rex and his team would rush forward to deal with them, as if trying to make up for sitting out earlier.
About half an hour later, an outpost came into view. It stood between two massive black cliffs, built from solid rock and covered with defensive runes and energy turrets.
Outside the outpost, intense battle scars were visible everywhere: scorched earth, shattered rocks, and lingering traces of Ghost-type energy. The air was thick with gunsmoke and the characteristic cold of Ghost energy.
The outpost's gates were shut tight, with figures moving along the high walls, keeping watch.
Only when they spotted the three surviving Night Watchers arriving with the supply team did the gates slowly open.
A burly, tower-like bald man stood at the entrance, wearing heavy black armor with a nasty scar across his face. Beside him floated an unusually large Dusknoir, radiating serious power.
"Reporting to Captain Ferro! Supplies delivered!" the surviving Night Watcher saluted excitedly.
Ferro's gaze swept over the supply crate, landed on Rex's squad, and finally, his sharp eyes settled on Kairos and the Elite-level Chandelure hovering beside him.
He'd obviously already heard what happened on the road through communications.
"The Thunder Hammer Squad? And... this Mr. Kairos?" Ferro's voice was deep and powerful. He strode forward, ignoring Rex's outstretched hand, and walked straight up to Kairos. His weathered eyes stared at him intently.
"Thank you for stepping in when you did, and for saving these three idiots."
Ferro's voice was grave. "And thank you even more for delivering the supplies and getting us out of a tight spot. I, Ferro, on behalf of all the Night Watchers of the Third Outpost, offer you our highest respect!"
He struck his chest hard with his fist in what seemed to be the Night Watchers' own salute.
Kairos nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Ferro lowered his hand, his gaze sharpening. "Sir, your strength... is way beyond that of ordinary bounty hunters. With the Ghost Tide outbreak, the outer perimeter is under massive pressure, and positions like the Third Outpost are feeling it even more."
"We're seriously short-handed here, and high-level fighters are especially scarce. I..." He took a deep breath, his tone carrying a note of request.
"May I, personally, ask you to stay at the Third Outpost temporarily to help us defend? In terms of payment, the Night Watcher Fortress definitely won't shortchange you! The Ghost World will also remember this debt!"
"After everything settles down, we can get you into the Ghost World."
Rex and the others were stunned when they heard this.
A debt from the Ghost World!
Get into the Ghost World?!
If anyone else heard these words, they'd agree without hesitation, probably overjoyed.
Because the implications were huge. The Ghost World's resources were impressive, and their influence was enormous. Countless powerful trainers had tried to join the Ghost World, only to be turned away at the door.
And now, Kairos had this chance.
They knew this mysterious and powerful young man probably wouldn't be running small missions with their squad anymore.
Kairos's gaze moved past Ferro, looking toward the back of the outpost.
There, in the direction marked as the Deep Zone on the map, the energy turbulence in the air was even more violent. Faint but heavy energy explosions and the shrieks of countless Ghost Pokémon could be heard.
He didn't answer Ferro right away, but instead turned to Rex:
"Alright, your mission's done. When you get back to settle up with Moyu, take my share too. I don't need the money."
Rex was stunned, then quickly nodded.
"Yes, yes! Kairos... no, Sir Kairos, you go ahead! We owe you big time! If the Thunder Hammer Squad can ever help out in the future, just say the word, and I, Rex, swear I'll do whatever it takes!"
Kairos nodded, saying nothing more. His gaze returned to that chaotic area leading into the depths of the Ghost World.
"I'm willing to help. Let's go."
Ferro's weathered eyes lingered on Kairos for a moment.
"Your willingness to help is truly appreciated."
His voice carried a trace of rough gratitude, but without excessive pleasantries.
"The front lines need every bit of strength, especially strong people like you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and strode toward the back of the outpost.
The energy fluctuations in that direction were even more chaotic, and teeth-grinding shrieks could be faintly heard.
The massive Dusknoir silently floated behind him.
Its enormous body radiated a heavy, oppressive presence that made the surrounding air feel thick.
Kairos stepped forward to follow.
Gengar floated curiously at his side, his crimson eyes darting around as he observed the tense, dangerous atmosphere within the outpost.
Chandelure pulled back its earlier intensity, its ghostly red flames burning quietly, looking just like ordinary candlelight.
Yet even in this state, it still drew sidelong glances from passing Night Watchers, who instinctively cleared a path.
The road to the real front lines wasn't long, yet it felt like crossing between two worlds.
The busy but orderly interior of the outpost was instantly replaced by noise and chaos after passing through a heavy metal gate covered in purple runes.
The energy turbulence in the air was even more violent, the wind carrying the smell of gunsmoke, burning, and the characteristic cold of Ghost-type energy.
In the distance, the explosive sounds of energy collisions and the sharp, piercing shrieks of Ghost Pokémon rose and fell endlessly.
Ferro walked quickly while explaining, his tone heavy.
"See that? This is the Ghost World's battlefield."
He stopped, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic area ahead.
"For hundreds of years, generation after generation, we've taken root here, bled here, died here, just barely holding this line to keep the Ghost World's problems from spilling into reality."
He pointed to the Night Watchers wearing dark gray or black uniforms around them.
Those people looked exhausted, all accompanied by powerful Ghost-type Pokémon.
"Anyone who can stand firm here is no pushover, but your strength is really something. Even among the entire Ghost World, you'd be considered pretty high-tier. I genuinely respect that."
Kairos's gaze swept over those Night Watchers with steady presences and disciplined bearing, and the Ghost-type partners of various forms and powerful auras beside them.
Mismagius, Dusknoir...
There were even several Dusclops with particularly cold auras, and a fairly large Froslass.
Their strength all started at mid-tier Elite level at minimum.
Kairos immediately understood.
The guy's words had sounded like praise at first, but those four critical words—"pretty high-tier"—had caught his attention.
No wonder Ferro's expression was more surprised than shocked when he saw Chandelure.
Although Elite trainers in this world weren't as rare as in the original games, and there were plenty of Elite-level trainers around, they were still considered capable of running a region.
Yet here, they were only "pretty high-tier."
This realization gave him more insight into the Ghost World's strength.
Ferro glanced sideways at Kairos, his eyes carrying a hint of poorly hidden curiosity.
"To be honest, Mr. Kairos, I'm really curious how you managed to train your Ghost-type partners to this level?"
He paused, then continued.
"Even in the Ghost World, where resources are naturally abundant, I've never seen anyone with Elite-level Ghost Pokémon at your age. As for that Gengar... although it's not Elite level, I can also tell it's really strong."
As someone from the Ghost World, he could tell at a glance what was special about Kairos's two Pokémon.
He couldn't exactly tell the truth and say he'd eaten his way to this level with candies...
His footsteps didn't stop, and he simply gave a casual answer:
"Lucky encounters with some special opportunities."
His answer was vague, but his thoughts turned to the information revealed in Ferro's words.
Elite level was only "pretty high-tier" here?
Then what was truly top-tier?
It should be Champion level, right?
"How strong is your most powerful force?"
Kairos's voice carried just the right amount of curiosity, his gaze still focused on the chaotic outline of the battlefield ahead.
The nasty scar on Ferro's face seemed to move with his expression, and his tone carried more reverence.
"Deep within the Ghost World stand three Soul-Suppressing Towers, guarded by three Realm Masters."
"Each Realm Master is a true existence standing at the peak of Ghost types. Their main partners... have unimaginable strength."
At this point, Ferro paused, as if weighing his words, and finally said with certainty:
"Especially the strongest, Realm Master Will... They say if Master Will went all out, even facing both the Kanto and Hoenn League Champions at the same time, he might not lose!"
Fighting both Lance and Steven at once?
Kairos raised an eyebrow.
That powerful?
Champions represented the peak of a region's trainer strength, and both Lance and Steven were truly formidable.
Could this Realm Master who never appeared in the original games really be that strong?
If what Ferro said was true...
A thought almost instantly formed in his mind.
Special character! Promote the game! Emotion threshold! Extra rewards!
A perfect route clearly emerged.
Promoting the game to important characters unlocked higher emotion thresholds and better rewards. This was already well established, right?
This "Realm Master" Will was undoubtedly an extremely special and powerful character.
If he could promote the game to him...
What kind of rewards would that unlock?
Kairos's lips immediately curved upward.
Based on previous experience, the character abilities in emotion threshold rewards were often related to the character's own traits.
Will was a peak trainer specializing in Ghost types, and of his current three Pokémon, both Gengar and Chandelure were Ghost types!
If he could get Ghost-type related abilities...
That would be a perfect professional match!!
Wouldn't that be perfect?
Just as Kairos was rapidly thinking about promoting the game to Will, Ferro had already led him through the final barrier formed by massive rocks.
The scene before them opened up dramatically, instantly pulling Kairos back from his thoughts to reality.
This was an enormous canyon, as if torn open by some tremendous force.
On both sides were steep rock walls with an ominous purple-black sheen.
At the canyon's far end, space looked bizarrely distorted, with gray mist churning as if connecting to another, even more frenzied world.
And on this relatively open valley floor, fierce battle was underway!
Night Watchers numbering several times more than at the Third Outpost, along with many people in various outfits clearly from different factions, were commanding their respective Pokémon in combat against Ghost-type Pokémon continuously pouring out from deep within the canyon.
With a single glance, Kairos saw trainers in League standard combat uniforms, well-equipped rough-looking bounty hunters, and quite a few independent trainers with unique auras and diverse Pokémon around them.
Their power levels varied greatly, but were generally around Gym Leader level.
In the outside world, this would already be a serious force.
Yet right now, they were like rocks in a stream, desperately trying to hold back the raging tide.
The battlefield was brutal.