Before anyone knew it, Gengar had slipped into Feng Che's shadow again. In one swift motion, it snatched the bottle of Parlyz Heal from his hand and swallowed it whole.
"This Gengar... why does it keep picking on me like I'm the softest target?" Feng Che muttered, staring at his empty hand in disbelief.
[Gengar: It hurts... it hurts so much. I don't want to fight! Why are they forcing me?][Gengar: It's that Poké Ball controlling my thoughts. If only these humans could hear me...][Gengar: If they break that ball, I'd be free! I could travel, play... I wouldn't have to be a puppet slaughtering everyone who wanders into the eighth floor.][Gengar: Mmm... that human's medicine was actually delicious. Is this the sweetness of berries?][Gengar: No! I can't stop! The Poké Ball's influence is too strong!]
Feng Che locked eyes with the Gengar. He saw the sheer despair in its red pupils even as they began to cloud over with bloodlust.
It's the ancient Poké Ball, Feng Che thought. He's a prisoner, forced to be a executioner. Suddenly, he realized he could hear the Gengar's thoughts clearly. Is it the residue of the medicine? Or does this lonely soul simply yearn for someone to understand it?
Sabrina moved instantly. Her blue psychic aura flared, locking the space around Gengar and pinning it mid-air.
The Gengar was a deep purple, its sinister grin etched across its face. It possessed the power to sink into any shadow, and its very presence caused the temperature to drop by 5°C as it siphoned heat from the air.
Pokémon: Gengar Gender: Male Potential: Epic (Dark Cyan) Level: 70 Status: Controlled by Ancient Poké Ball. Evaluation: A thousand-year-old guardian of the Spirit Rift. It has learned countless moves by devouring souls over centuries. Extremely Dangerous. Under the control of the stone ball, it will kill anything that approaches.
A Level 70 Epic... that's practically a god in this tower, Feng Che realized.
Gengar's red eyes widened. A massive pressure erupted from its body—a physical weight that caused the air to crackle. With a primal roar, it shattered Sabrina's psychic cage.
Sabrina and Koga were forced back by the shockwave. They didn't notice that Feng Che, despite his lower level, was standing his ground against the pressure.
"Crap! This thing is just one step away from the Champion tier!" Sabrina shouted, sweat beading on her forehead. "It's drawing energy directly from the Spirit Rift! Koga, is your Arbok ready?"
The usually aloof and stoic Sabrina showed a flash of genuine panic. She hated variables she couldn't control.
"I need more time!" Koga grunted. "If Arbok doesn't finish its setup, its attack won't be enough to one-shot this monster!"
In that split second, Gengar created dozens of Shadow Clones, cackling as they zipped through the tower. Sabrina and Koga couldn't tell the real one from the decoys. Suddenly, two clones dove into their shadows, paralyzing them in place with Shadow Stitching.
"No!" Koga's heart hammered against his ribs. Against a Level 70 Gengar, a moment of immobility meant death.
[Gengar: Die, die, die! I can't stop my body, but I can choose who dies first.][Gengar: That middle-aged ninja... you're my first harvest. I haven't tasted a soul this seasoned in a long time.][Gengar: I wonder... should I just rip him in half? I miss the feeling of warm blood...]
Gengar's grin turned grotesque as it licked its lips. It merged into its clones and lunged at the two frozen Executives.
"Damn it! Just a few more seconds and my psychic power will break free!" Sabrina bit her lip, closing her eyes as the shadow lunged.
"Look out! Ditto-Arbok, protect Koga!"
Feng Che had heard Gengar's target. He threw his Poké Ball and then, using his own burgeoning psychic power, he physically threw himself toward Sabrina.
He spread his arms, shielding her.
The Gengar's shadow-strike slammed into Feng Che's chest like a runaway freight train. The impact sent him flying backward. He felt his ribs snap, and a metallic taste filled his mouth. He hit the floor hard, coughing up blood.
The clone that hit him dissipated instantly.
With the distraction, Sabrina's psychic lock broke. She unleashed a massive burst of blue energy that vaporized the remaining clones like popped bubbles.
"Cough... cough..."
Feng Che struggled to rise, his face pale and drenched in cold sweat. Suddenly, he felt his body grow weightless, floating gently in the air. Sabrina had caught him with her telekinesis.
"Don't be a fool," she said, her voice sounding annoyed, but her psychic hold was incredibly tender. "I have my own ways of protecting myself. Don't be so reckless."
"Thanks," Feng Che wheezed, offering a bloody grin.
This idiot... why is he thanking me? Sabrina looked at his battered form. Her black eyes softened, and a faint blush—like a dew-kissed petal—crept across her cheeks. She quickly turned away to hide it. "Hold still. This will hurt."
She focused her mind, and Feng Che felt a sharp SNAP followed by a wave of relief. She had used her telekinesis to set his broken ribs.
"Don't move too much," she whispered, her heart finally slowing down. I just don't want to owe this kid such a massive favor, she told herself.
Meanwhile, Koga's life had been saved by Ditto-Arbok. The fake snake had intercepted Gengar's lethal strike, and was literally torn in half by Gengar's claws.
[Gengar: How annoying. A snake blocked my fun. No matter... these humans are stronger than the last bunch. This might actually be fun.][Gengar: I'll play with them a bit longer... before I eat them all.]
The millennium of solitude had turned Gengar's spirit into a reservoir of malice. The ancient ball forced it to be a killing machine, and it had learned to embrace the horror to survive its own grief.
"Thank you, Feng Che," Koga said, his voice trembling slightly. "If your Arbok hadn't jumped in, I'd be in pieces. But... get it back into its ball! It's suffered a mortal wound!"
Koga, in his shock, failed to notice one crucial thing: the "severed" Arbok wasn't bleeding.
Just as Feng Che prepared to recall the regenerating Ditto, Gengar unleashed a cloud of Night Shade that turned the floor into a sea of darkness.
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