Edmund's heart was heavy right now.
He was grateful, finding a… partner in some respect. This isn't how he expected things to go, but sometimes making things up as you go along is all you can do.
Had he made some poor choices? Probably. He never claimed to be perfect, but he didn't want to dwell on what he could have done better.
Right now, everything seemed… settled.
And technically, he wasn't doing anything he hadn't planned on doing before. He just didn't expect to get into business with a former Researcher under Professor Oak. Which may not actually be a bad thing in hindsight.
He always intended to see if he couldn't make money with his meta knowledge, knowing where certain rare Pokémon were and whatnot. However, and admittedly, he didn't have actual channels or connections to sell said Pokémon.
Having someone do it for him—that was invaluable. And he wouldn't have to put his face out there. Julian would handle that too.
Edmund was looking at the positives.
While he was freelancing as a rare Pokémon hunter as a side job, that didn't mean he couldn't do his proper Journey either.
He was excited. With a significant amount of the weight lifted off his shoulders, he looked forward to training up a team. Of course, he would have to find a full team that… liked him, but he had a few ideas.
Once more, especially with Julian's presumed connections, he might have a wider reach than just Kanto or Johto.
Positives.
Just focus on the positives.
He didn't entirely trust Julian—that would be utterly ridiculous. But Edmund had faith in a partnership built on mutual profit. It was one of the few things he held faith in even from his previous life.
As long as the money was flowing and his existence was a necessity, he didn't have much to fear.
Walking the path back to the city, his thoughts drifted to some more… pleasant things. Deciding on his gym circuit path, where he wanted to go first, and how he wanted to start his Journey.
There was only one option in his mind. He wanted to do Pewter first, as it was basically tradition. That, and he was in Viridian City as a starting point—it was sort of the start of things anyway. He absolutely did not want to fight Giovanni until he had a strong team, deciding to leave him for last and come back around to Viridian City as the final leg of his Journey.
The whole thought about his Journey made him giddy. He couldn't help but smile as he walked down the road.
He didn't get far before Gastly phased up under his hood.
The fabric puffed out as the ghost ballooned inside it, nestling right on top of his head like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Edmund didn't flinch. He just sighed and let out a soft laugh.
"Comfy?"
Gastly let out a little hum, not quite a laugh but clearly pleased, his mist curling lazily over the sides of Edmund's face. "Gastly. Ga~~"
He reached up, not to grab or pull, just resting a hand on the side of his hood where he could feel a bit of the ghost's chill.
"I've been thinking," Edmund said, eyes forward as the road stretched out under the soft mid-morning light. "I think I want to start in Pewter. It makes the most sense, right? Traditional and all that."
Gastly spun in place once, pushing the hood out at a weird angle before settling again.
"I figured we could train a bit first, see how you do in a proper battle, and maybe pick up another team member or two along the way." He paused, chewing on the next words. "Assuming, you know… you're actually coming with me."
Gastly didn't respond right away. Just that constant, gentle pressure on his head, warm in a cold sort of way.
"I mean it," Edmund continued. "I didn't ask you before; I don't wanna assume things. You heard about some of my plans—I'm not exactly the star-eyed, fame-seeking Trainer that you might be able to find if that's what you wanted. I'll probably be walking into some of the shady places, doing things that people wouldn't want to associate with. But I'd really like it if you were there with me."
It was a genuine admittance from Edmund, feeling the strange and foreign bond he began to develop with the ghost.
He slowed his pace a little, dropping his hand.
"I don't want to force it. I know you've stuck with me this far, and I've appreciated that. Honestly, you're the only reason I'm still breathing right now. I don't really know how to do this. Maybe shout that I want to be friends, and we'll be the best combo ever." Edmund gave a sarcastic smile.
Gastly laughed a little, as if to mock even the thought.
"But if you're willing, I'd like to make it official. I don't have much I can promise. I'd like to give the League a shot and get my Gym Badges, but honestly, I don't know where the road is taking me just yet. But I'd never abandon you—it would be you and me against the world."
Of course, that didn't mean they wouldn't take in more for the team. It was a promise of an unbreakable bond, though—to ride or die together.
And he wasn't just asking because Gastly was the only Pokémon that actually seemed to like him. That certainly helped, but for the few days he knew the small ghost, Edmund found himself enjoying being around it. He didn't know why he felt so comfortable around Gastly, but it's just how things turned out.
Was there supposed to be some instant bonding, some invisible rope that tied them together? Edmund didn't know the answer, only that he wanted to travel with Gastly as partners.
Gastly floated off his head, doing little spins in the air.
"Gastly. Ga-stly. Leeeeeeeeee." Gastly said things, but Edmund didn't quite understand.
Gastly seemed to notice the confusion as well. So it floated up behind Edmund and started nudging him in the back before flying a bit forward.
"Gast."
Edmund tilted his head, blinking. "You want me to follow?"
The floating head of gas nodded before floating off the road and into the forests.
Edmund looked around for a moment but didn't hesitate to follow. He stepped right off the road and delved into the forests along with Gastly.
Was heading into the forest at a brisk pace a bad idea? Probably. But he also felt a strange feeling, like he had to follow Gastly no matter what.
Like whatever Gastly was wanting to show him, it was important.
In mere minutes, he had already gone far past the same distance he had previously when he just needed to get off the road for a bit for privacy.
Turning back, he couldn't even see the previous clearing anymore.
He just cautiously continued to follow Gastly, who didn't even turn back, still flying forward at a brisk pace.
Edmund also had no idea where they were going, but the way that Gastly seemed to navigate the trees—seemingly moving with a purpose—it wasn't just random.
Gradually, things began to get darker. At first, it was like clouds covering the sun, a dense shade overhead, maybe by the tree canopy. But even that started to change. Slightly chilly too, the trees slowly began to tilt and turn at certain angles.
Eventually, the sun's light disappeared altogether. That isn't to say it became pitch dark, but it was a perpetual twilight that barely seeped through the tree branches.
Edmund knew where he was now, the realization making him stop in his tracks.
That same place he originally met Gastly—the same, oddly dark part of the forest from before. He could feel it again, like there were eyes watching him, deeper inside, at a length he couldn't even see because there was no light further ahead.
He turned around a few times, and he could no longer find Gastly.
Only an eerie silence rode on the winds around him—the rustling of trees and leaves.
Perhaps the near absolute silence made things worse.
"Kyu~"
There was a small sound. A nearby bush rustled just a bit louder than most.
Edmund snapped around to look at it, and gradually, something crawled out. It's like the shadows crawled across the ground, moving in unnatural ways, and a vague silhouette appeared.
Slowly, Edmund reached for the flashlight in his pack as the small figure took each step, a rustling accompanying it.
The light shined bright, and Edmund froze.
"Mi~ Kyu~"
It stared at him and let out a laugh that wouldn't be out of place in a horror movie. However, Edmund just stared back at it, unmoving.
If one didn't know better, they would have just thought it was some kind of doll at first glance.
"Mimikyu?" Edmund named it. "You shouldn't be in Kanto."
That startled it. The eerie atmosphere it created—the tension—evaporated, and the Pokémon now looked like it had been caught with its hand in the cookie jar.
"Mimi?" It seemed to ask in confusion, like asking why he wasn't frightened.
Edmund just sighed, knelt down, and started ruffling through his backpack. He found his first aid kit and took out a needle, then he found the fishing line he had and took several moments to loop it through the needle before tying it.
"Come here, I'll fix your Pikachu costume. It looks like it hasn't had a touch-up in a while."
Edmund himself didn't know why he wasn't… well, why he wasn't scared. He would freely admit that Mimikyu is kinda scary when it wants to put its mind to it. And he hasn't had the best experiences with most Pokémon so far.
But he just saw the little ghost with a weathered and barely-held-together Pikachu costume and only felt sympathy.
He recalled the information he knew about it. It wore a costume—mostly Pikachu—because it wanted to hide its true self so it could get closer to people. Not out of some nefarious purpose, but because it was normally lonely.
The little ghost seemed to finally regain its wits and inspected him curiously before waddling over.
"Kyu~" Its little laugh was different this time, more… peppy?
"Come here." Edmund gestured, trying to be gentle with his tone. "The arm looks like it's falling off. I can sew it back so it won't just rip randomly, at least."
The Mimikyu did a few circles around him, as if evaluating him, before trotting over in front, within arm's reach.
For the second time in Edmund's life here, he found another Pokémon that seemed… not scared of him.
Carefully, Edmund took the needle and did his best to patch up the costume, doing everything he possibly could to not make it rip or accidentally peek inside.
He very much did not want to have a heart attack from looking at an eldritch creature.
"There." Edmund said softly, biting off the line, then tying a basic knot. "That should hold for now, but it's only temporary."
"Mimikyu!" It did a little jump in the air, showing off its excitement.
"Mimi, Kyu, Mimi!" Its voice became louder, and something shifted around them.
Startled, Edmund shot up onto his feet, grabbing his flashlight.
"Haunter~"
"Gast~"
"Gar!"
Those were only the first sounds and the immediate ones he recognized. Very quickly, dozens, maybe even hundreds, more appeared. It was like a new world was opened up, as if someone had pulled back the fabric of reality.
All around him, ghosts began to appear. Hundreds at a glance. Lots of Gastly, lots of Haunter—if slightly less—and a handful of Gengar he found. They were floating around, playing, some eyeing him, some just chatting with others.
And it wasn't just them. It wasn't just the original ghosts from the first generation. A few possessed sandcastles skittered across the ground. A few floating, ghostly swords spun high up above the trees.
There were dozens of little ghostly pumpkins. A significant portion of the trees around them were actually Trevenants, with plenty of Phantumps sitting on or around them.
The area lit up from the many ghostly candles and chandeliers. Litwicks floated randomly in the air, not all even facing upwards. Lampents and Chandelures in lesser numbers, but still noticeable among them.
There were several more lights that seemed to slip in and out of perception, trotting across the ground. Every so often, he could see a Greavard slip in and out of visibility, like they were bouncing in and out of reality.
Hell, there were even floating teacups—Sinisteas and Polteageists—happily joining in on whatever was happening.
Mimikyu in particular let out a happy cry and ran toward a group of Shuppet and two Banettes to show off its fixed costume.
Edmund could see almost every Ghost Pokémon he knew off the top of his head, bar Legendaries.
Hundreds of them, all gathered in one place.
And he had absolutely no idea they were here.
Hell, he didn't know if anyone knew they were here.
Edmund could just stare in wonder. He had the feeling of amazement ever since he woke up here. Despite his own problems and everything he's been through, seeing a Pidgey fly through the air or someone riding a Pokémon through the streets was always something exciting to watch.
But this.
This left him in awe.
Some of them flew around him, looking at him in interest. A Haunter pulled his hood too far over his head, laughing as Edmund nearly jumped in surprise.
A Gengar sized him up, simply giving him a nod of approval for reasons Edmund couldn't understand. A litwick came over and just plopped onto his head and seemingly fell asleep.
A few Phantumps came over and poked at him curiously.
However, the fun atmosphere immediately and abruptly ceased; it was as if someone turned off the proverbial music, and they all turned to look in one direction.
There was a faint tremor through the ground as something big was approaching.
It didn't bother to hide or act subtle at all. Large trees were pushed out of the way a bit further in. About half the Pokémon present, perhaps the most skittish ones, disappeared, hiding.
Edmund swallowed hard as it appeared.
It was a Gengar, fully white. It was a Shiny Gengar, but that wasn't all. It was utterly massive. Easily four times the size of a normal Gengar that already stood about as tall as a regular person.
Yet this one, its eyes looked down on Edmund, and Edmund had to crane his neck to look back up at it.
Edmund had seen larger Pokémon before; sometimes, it's just a matter of them being a cut above the rest, like his brother's Pidgeot. But this was different, and he knew the correct term. This was a genuine Alpha.
He didn't know Kanto had Alpha Pokémon, but then again, he didn't know about these ghosts at all.
The Gengar's presence was heavy. It didn't have to say anything; just its presence and gaze alone sent a shiver down Edmund's spine and made his knees buckle.
But the pressure dissipated almost at once as a soft, distinctly not human, voice carried over. "Gengar."
Another Gengar appeared, normal height, perhaps a few inches taller than the other Gengar he had seen earlier. The only odd feature of it was a worn and weathered brass-colored crown sitting lopsided on its head with various ornaments inlaid in it.
It stood next to the Alpha and put a gentle hand on its side.
The Alpha looked sheepish and appeared as if it were trying to shrink in as it took a step back, completely deferential.
Edmund looked at the newest Gengar, and he swallowed again. It didn't project outwards like the Alpha; its sheer presence didn't scream danger and death.
But for some reason, Edmund knew that this one was leagues above the Alpha, against all logic.
It looked towards the Alpha. "Geng, Gengar." Wagging its finger.
The Alpha slumped. "Gar….." It responded as if being scolded.
With a mighty reverberation through the earth, the Alpha plopped down, pouting.
"Gastly!" Another family voice rang out.
Above the crowned Gengar's head, Gastly appeared. The Gastly that Edmund was familiar with—he didn't know why he could tell right away, but it was an immediate registration of this fact.
It eased the tension a little; it let Edmund's beating heart start to calm down.
Gastly floated over to Edmund, spinning around happily as if to show off.
"Gast, Leeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" It exclaimed, the mists around its head sort of gesturing towards the crowned Gengar.
The Gengar looked Edmund over, its expression unreadable.
Old
That's the feeling Edmund felt when he got a better look at the Gengar.
It was old, very, very old.
The old Gengar held up his hands. "Gen, gar. Gar Gar." He started speaking, and as if in unison, all the ghosts around them started moving with a purpose.
Slowly, a bunch of smaller ghosts started piling up sticks into a pile. A couple of bigger ghosts, a different Gengar, and a Dusknoir dragged over a large log, setting it down in front.
The Gengar with the crown slowly approached Edmund.
Edmund stilled as it reached out and gently grasped the Litwick off his head, giving it a gentle rub. The little Litwick yawned, opening its eyes.
"Gengar." It said softly, the Litwick blinked and floated down to the pile of sticks and used its candle to light them on fire.
After a few moments, the pile started burning, making a campfire.
Gengar sat down on the log and patted the side, looking at Edmund.
Edmund hesitantly sat down next to it as the other ghosts around the area just floated around casually, but giving them a bit of room.
Well, except Gastly, who took a seat in Edmund's lap rather happily.
Despite the weirdness, Edmund was now finally fully calm. He was surrounded by ghosts, hundreds of them at just sight alone, yet he didn't feel out of place.
Maybe he was a little stiff and hesitant, but he wasn't worried; he wasn't scared.
Gastly floated out of his lap and rubbed against the crowned Gengar, eliciting a smile from the old Pokémon.
He watched as Gengar reached into the shadows under him and pulled out a couple pieces of candy.
Like, literally wrapped candy. He unwrapped one and tossed it to Gastly, who swallowed it with a gleeful noise.
Then, Gengar looked at Edmund and handed the other one over to him.
Edmund found himself accepting it before the thought could register. He just stared at it, utterly confused at what was even going on anymore.
Edmund swallowed a bit, staring at it and then back at Gengar. "A-are you Gastly's...parent?" Edmund asked awkwardly.
Gengar's grin widened just a little bit more, and it laughed before pointing upwards.
Edmund furrowed his brow to try and understand what it was trying to tell him until he had a realization dawn. "...grandfather?"
Gengar nodded, though Edmund had a feeling that it wasn't quite accurate, but it was close enough according to his own understanding.
Edmund wasn't even sure if Gengar could have children in the traditional way. He knew a lot about Pokémon because of his previous knowledge, but it's not like he knew every minuscule detail. He never intentionally looked up things like egg groups or if certain Pokémon could even reproduce.
Gengar grabbed Gastly, holding him in his arms. "Gengar. Gen, gar." He spoke, but Edmund didn't really understand.
He also knew that Pokémon talk sort of…came intuitively to some people; others sort of picked it up, but Edmund was still completely clueless.
Gengar seemed to pick up on that and looked thoughtful. "Gengar."
The massive Alpha Gengar perked up, as if being called over. The ground shook with each step, and unceremoniously, it faced its back towards us and sat down close to the fire.
Gengar then held up Gastly and played around with him, using its own fingers as well, and Edmund could see the shadow on the big Gengar's back was like the silhouette of a Poké Ball as the crowned Gengar pointed at it.
Edmund's eyes lit up. "You want to know about my training? Involving Gastly?"
Gengar nodded.
Edmund furrowed his brow again. "You're asking about my plans to take Gastly with me on my Journey." He properly summarizes.
Gengar reached over and patted Edmund's head as if to tell him, Good job.
Edmund swallowed again, and he vaguely felt like he was meeting the parents of a prospective date for the first time. "If it'st…sir. I would like to take Gastly on my journey to be my partner."
"Gastly, Gast!" Gastly chimed in, looking at the crowned Gengar expectantly.
"Gengar."
"Gastly!"
"Gengar. Geng."
"Gastlyyyyyyyyyyyyy."
Gengar sighed. "Gengar."
Edmund didn't understand, but he could see the reluctant acceptance as he let go of Gastly, and the smaller ghost floated over and landed on top of Edmund's head triumphantly.
He now basically understood everything. Gastly needed Edmund to come here and ask for permission to take him along.
Gengar then pointed at Edmund and gestured with a sort of 'keep going' kind of movement.
Edmund hesitated for a moment, trying to decipher what he wanted. "My plans? Um….I don't have much set in stone. I…want to try and compete in the League, I want to do the Gym circuit, to see how far I can go. Explore the world a bit, maybe travel to other Regions."
He didn't know if the old Gengar knew what he was talking about, but it just nodded along like it understood.
"Gengar." The crowned Gengar pointed at Gastly and then at Edmund. "Geng."
"...why Gastly?" Gengar nodded, so Edmund continued, looking down. "I don't really…have anyone else." He smiled bitterly. "All other Pokémon seemed to avoid me, but Gastly was the only one who seemed to like me, and I like him too."
There was silence for a moment.
"Gengar." The old Gengar spoke. Edmund didn't know what it said, but suddenly, he felt himself pulled over into a hug by the old Pokémon. "Geng, Gengar!" The old Pokémon proclaimed, and suddenly all the other ghosts erupted into celebration.
Edmund had no idea what was going on all of a sudden, but… why did it feel like he had suddenly been adopted?
@***@
A/N
Edmund meets the family of Gastly; Edmund is confused.