MTL NOVEL Chapter 34: 34
Chapter 34: Urban Legends in the Pokémon World? A Ghostly Pikachu? From Pokémon Appraisal to Paranormal Investigation?!
[Late at night, don't scare me like this!]
[Oh my god, how terrifying is it? It even made her so frightened!]
[Pikachu is so cute, how could it be scary? Is it ugly or something?]
[A friendly reminder, you can breathe.]
[Could this be a ghost Pokémon?!]
Ye Yinchuan listened to the story with a slightly serious expression. It sounded disturbingly real.
It reminded him of various urban legends about Pokémon—like the "White Hand" from Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town, the "Seven Mysteries of the School" in Melemele Island, and even the depiction of Pokémon corpses in Pokémon Special Red.
In this Pokémon world, similar myths existed, such as "Pokémon turning into ghosts after death due to lingering resentment" or the theory that "Ghost-type Pokémon are actually transformed spirits of deceased Pokémon or even humans."
Additionally, Ghost-type Pokémon, much like in the games, were extremely rare and mysterious. People knew even less about them than Psychic-types. This scarcity was evident in the original Pokémon games, where the only Ghost Pokémon in Generation 1 were the Gengar line.
"A ghostly Pikachu...? Could it be...?"
Ye Yinchuan had a vague idea but wasn't entirely sure. His prior knowledge of Pokémon games and anime couldn't always be directly applied to the real Pokémon world.
Still, he quietly opened a search tab to verify some suspicions.
"Keep going. What exactly was strange about it?"
The young woman on the screen frowned, trying to suppress her fear as she recounted:
"At first, the Pikachu just occasionally appeared near my house. I would see it flickering by when I was taking in my laundry or airing out the room—mostly at night, and I didn't get a clear look."
"But later, it got closer, and that's when I started noticing something was off. Pikachu should be a bit bigger, but this one looked about the same size as my Pichu. I thought maybe it was just a trick of distance."
"Then, last night, I heard 'Pika Pika' sounds. I thought that Pikachu had come closer, so I grabbed some Pokémon food, wanting to feed it. I even called it over. But when I saw it up close, I realized—it didn't look like a Pikachu at all! Its body was soft and floppy, like a rag. Its eyes and mouth looked fake, like a cheaply made doll. Its tail wasn't a normal one—it looked like a piece of dried-up wood..."
As she spoke, her body trembled even more. She swallowed hard.
"You know that feeling? Like when someone waves at you from the roadside, but when you get closer, you realize it's just a mannequin—yet it's somehow still moving? The features look human, but there's something off, something unnervingly artificial! Like something deliberately imitating a person to lure you in!"
[I admit, I'm starting to get scared.]
[That sounds like the uncanny valley effect—something that looks almost human but isn't quite right. That's the scariest thing!]
[I just looked up images of the uncanny valley effect, and I almost threw my laptop across the room!]
[Girl, you're sitting on the bed—aren't you afraid that thing is under it?]
[What happened next? You've heard of lure fish, right? Never follow something suspicious!]
Ye Yinchuan read through the barrage of comments while maintaining a composed expression. There were too many ridiculous things here.
Did Pokémon really trigger the uncanny valley effect? Maybe!
"Guys, please stop scaring her! I'm already terrified myself!"
The young woman's voice quivered as she curled up on her bed, wrapping herself tightly in her blanket.
[Ghosts have rules—they can't attack people wrapped in blankets! But remember to keep your feet inside!]
[She's so scared! But come on, there's no such thing as ghosts! Gastly was proven to be just a gas Pokémon, and they only show up near graveyards!]
[Uh... do you realize most countryside villages are built around old grave sites?]
[Heh, young people need to have some reverence for the unknown!]
[I'll thank everyone on her behalf—there are still good people in this world!]
"Alright, let's not freak her out any more. Miss, don't be afraid. There are so many of us here in the livestream, and you've got your Pichu with you. If nothing else, aren't there other people in your village? Here, I'll teach you a little trick to not be scared."
[Is he comforting a child?]
[Still, the streamer is really kind.]
"What trick?"
The young woman's tearful eyes widened slightly, her fear momentarily distracted.
"It's simple. If ghosts exist, then when you die, you'll become one too. If everyone's a ghost, what's there to be afraid of? And if ghosts don't exist, then there's no need to worry at all."
"That... kind of makes sense. I feel a little better now. But I still don't want to die..."
[She's kind of adorable.]
[Is the streamer actually a genius?]
[Discharge him from the hospital!]
"By the way, where's your husband?"
"I don't have a boyfriend yet."
"Then why that username?"
"Just something random. 'Husband's not home, I'm lonely, wanna make my belly bigger? It's Crazy Thursday, send me 50 bucks…'"
Ye Yinchuan watched as she effortlessly rattled off a meme-worthy phrase like it was a practiced script.
[Turns out she's a comedic queen.]
[Main takeaway: she's single!]
[Girl, if you're scared, just DM me your address…]
"Alright, no one's sending their addresses! That would be way scarier! Miss, never share personal info online. If that thing shows up again, don't worry—I'll stay with you until we figure this out! If anything happens, I'll call the Pokémon Center right away and get them to track your location. You'll be safe!"
Hearing Ye Yinchuan's confident reassurance, the young woman finally relaxed a little.
"Thanks, streamer. I'm not that naive. Anyway, as I was saying… I screamed, and that thing suddenly turned its head and ran away. But as it ran, it crashed into something, and—get this—its neck snapped! Its head flopped to the side, but it kept running! No blood, nothing! That's when I realized—this was what had been scaring my Pichu. If it were a normal Pokémon or animal, how could its neck snap and it still move so fast? And why wasn't there any blood?!"
[This is getting creepier!]
[Did the appraisal stream just turn into a paranormal investigation stream?]
[Props to her, she's braver than I'd be!]
[She's totally making this up, right? Sounds too fake!]
Ye Yinchuan had basically figured it out by now.
His search results had also mostly confirmed his suspicions.
"I think I know what it is. You don't need to be too scared. If I'm right, it should be a Ghost or Fairy-type Pokémon."
[Wait, you figured it out just like that?!]
[Streamer is OP!]
[What kind of Pokémon is this? Why does it look like Pikachu and have a broken neck?]
Just as Ye Yinchuan was about to explain further—
A chilling, ghostly voice echoed through the woman's microphone:
"Pika... Pika..."
The cry sounded like Pikachu, yet it was eerily hollow, filled with sorrow and grief, as if it were crying!
"Oh my god!" The young woman screamed, her face frozen in horror. "It's inside my house!"
The livestream chat exploded.
"Don't disconnect! If you do, you'll be alone."
Ye Yinchuan remained calm. "Follow my instructions exactly, and I promise you'll be safe!"