Nina reeled back with a start when the Ultra Ball in her hand disappeared in a flash of light. It was the first time the girl had seen the Pokedex’s auto-transfer function at work.

She then flipped open her Pokedex to check on her Box — a temporary virtual storage that allowed a trainer to decide on where to transfer their Pokemon before it automatically went to their default holding space.

Nina would have 30 minutes to decide on what to do with the Dhelmise. Either swap it out with one of her team on hand or have it be transferred to one of her sponsors. She had Bill’s ranch set as the default for now.

The girl looked towards her Clodsire, looking all bruised and battered from battle.

“You did great, Clody. As expected of our team’s guardian knight!” The girl pulled her Clodsire in for a hug, tightly squeezing the gelatinous brown blob over her protective wetsuit.

“CLOOD!!!” Sir Clodington puffed his chest out in pride, eliciting giggles from the girl.

“You’re the best, Clody. Love you~ But I have one more favor to ask… Is it okay if you hang out in Bill’s ranch for the day? That Dhelmise was very hostile and I don’t want any of my sponsors to be taken by surprise when they try to settle it.”

Nina would have to try and engage with Dhelmise first, maybe attempt to tame it and see how difficult it would be before proceeding any further.

“CLOOOD!!!” However, Sir Clodington responded with a wave of denial.

Nina chuckled. “Yeah, I know… Bill’s researchers can be a little too touchy. So where would you like to go then? Professor Oak’s ranch or the Cerulean Gym?”

Sir Clodington ultimately chose to go to the Gym since he could do some battle training while he was there. So Nina returned him to his camo patterned Pokeball and poked around in her Pokedex’s setting, causing the light on the Pokedex and on Clody’s Pokeball to pulse rhythmically before disappearing in a flash. In its place, the Ultra Ball containing Dhelmise reappeared in Nina’s hand.

“Alright, let’s head back to shore. I’m gonna need the others to help with this…”

***

“You guys ready?”

Justin and Lucy nodded with their respective starters.

Nina took in a deep breath and looked towards Nitey and Brucey for assurance, then threw her Ultra Ball into the Psychic barrier that Espy had conjured beforehand.

The black and gold lined sphere popped with a flash, to deposit a disheveled looking Dhelmise hovering weakly atop the beach, its massive anchor dragging in the sand.

Surrounding a freshly caught and injured Pokemon with such an intimidating group was probably a bad idea. But she couldn’t think of any other alternative. Not only was her latest capture a dangerous Ghost Type, but it was also one that was capable of a lot of physical damage if it put its mind into it.

The seaweed Pokemon’s tendrils writhed in a wilting manner while the compass attached to its steering wheel crown spun erratically. Then, in a jerky motion, the steering wheel itself spun as the seaweed Pokemon stiffened in alert.

The sea algae glowed a shadowy purple light as it strained to right its anchor, spinning it around with its chain-like body in an attempt to strike Espy’s barrier, only for the unwieldy hunk of steel to fall limp onto the sandy beach.

Nina frowned as she approached the barrier with Kaipo in tow. The senior Ghost Type would make an attempt to liaise with the Dhelmise since Haunter was too inexperienced, and was currently undergoing treatment with Kerry.

“Hey, Dhelmise. My name is Nina, mind if we have a talk?”

The girl’s words were left unheeded as the Ghostly seaweed wound its body around the steering wheel to have another go at its attack. This time, managing to accumulate enough centripetal force to fling its massive anchor at the barrier, causing Nina to flinch as it was stopped inches from her face. The tiny crack it caused healing before her eyes.

Nina sighed and looked towards Kaipo for assistance.

“Wak! Marowak!” The Alolan Marowak twirled her staff around, its ghastly green flames flaring up in intimidation as Kaipo told the Dhelmise to settle down.

The shadows surrounding them writhed. Kaipo words seemed to only agitate the Dhelmise, causing it to redouble its efforts to break free.

“Wak!” Kaipo cried out a warning and flared her Ghostly aura, wrenching back control of the shadows and undermining Dhelmise’s domain.

The eldritch seaweed Pokemon whipped its appendages around in an agitated manner, annoyed that it was too weakened to put up a fight. So it imbued its weapon with even more Steel Type Energy and unleashed another Anchor Shot. This time, managing to form a larger crack as the entire barrier trembled.

“Es!”

Espy warned Nina to get back while Nitey, Brucey, Blastoise and Charizard moved forward to contain the rampaging Dhelmise. Another wind up followed by a loud crack, and the barrier shattered into pieces.

“DRAGOOO!!!” With an angry roar, Nitey shot forwards and grabbed hold of the heavy anchor, straining to keep it in place through sheer brute force.

Blastoise and Brucey stood with the humans as a last line of defense. Meanwhile, Charizard flew to the back and grabbed hold of the levitating steering wheel. The two powerhouses flared their Aura; purple Draconic flames and raging Fire melded, utterly suppressing the belligerent Grass Type caught between them as it writhed in pain and let out a horrifying screech — Metal Sound.

“That’s enough, Nitey!”

In response to Nina’s call, the flames dissipated ever so slightly, ready to flare up again if Dhelmise acted out.

The girl approached cautiously with Espy and Kaipo by her side and Haunter in her shadow — Nina’s precious Ghost girl had set aside her treatment and rushed over to guard Nina out of concern for her safety, much to Kerry’s chagrin.

“Dhelmise.” Nina called out once more, only to frown at the lack of response. Either it was wilfully ignoring her or it didn’t understand her. The latter of which seemed possible depending on how long it spent secluded in that boat.

So she looked towards Espy and Kaipo who linked minds to push through the Pokemon’s defenses. The result nearly caused Nina to run away in fear.

Hunger — a primal, ravenous voracity. Glimpsing into Dhelmise’s mind was like staring into a fathomless abyss. Except the abyss was alive. It was alive and active, yearning to devour all within its reach.

Nina shivered as she rubbed at her shoulders to dispel the cold terror settling within her heart. There was no two ways about it, that Dhelmise was beyond feral. To the point where she doubted it was even sapient at all. Yet beneath it all was the endless patience of an ambush predator — a chilling calculation.

“J-Justin…” Nina sputtered.

“Yeah?” The boy looked concerned, he had never seen his rival look so vulnerable before.

“Has Scyther and Sharpedo returned from hunting?”

Justin nodded. “Yup, but you told me you didn’t want to see them eat right? So I told them to go somewhere else.”

Nina let out a feeble smile. “Thanks, Justin. Can you go check on them, see if they have anything to spare? Dhelmise is… it’s um… It’s hungry.”

“Sure thing! If they don’t have any leftovers, I’ll ask them to go hunt some more. Shouldn’t be a problem.” The peppy young trainer responded with a thumbs up and positioned himself to run off, only to be stopped by Nina.

“Wait, if erm… If they do go hunting. Tell them to bring back something alive, if at all possible.”

Justin frowned but just nodded wordlessly as he left to go find his Pokemon.

“Are you okay, Nina?” asked a concerned Lucy.

“I’m alright, I just gotta make a call to my sponsors. Do you think you can keep an eye on things for me?”

“Sure, I’ll be here if you need me.”

Nina returned the girl’s concern with a smile and a light hug before walking off.

***

Out of all of Nina’s sponsors, the girl settled on calling Bill. Mainly because he was likely to be the one who will be most interested in Dhelmise. And also because everytime Nina called Professor Oak, the old man always seemed on edge, worried that something might have happened to her, which Nina felt bad about.

“Nina! What a pleasant surprise!” Bill greeted with a beaming smile, only for his expression to falter when he noticed how pale the girl’s complexion was on the screen. “Are you alright? What happened? You’re not hurt are you?”

Nina returned with a stiff smile and ran a hand through her face to massage some blood back into her cheeks.

“No, I’m fine, Professor Bill. Just a little rattled. I err… I caught a Pokemon that you might be interested in and would like some advice.”

“Please, Nina. What did I say last time? Just call me Bill. No need for formalities. And a Pokemon I might be interested in, you say? May I ask which?”

Nina nodded and pressed the button to flip the camera on her Pokedex, to show the Dhelmise held between two very angry dragons.

“Oh my… Is that?”

“Yeah, a Dhelmise. I came upon it by accident while I was exploring an underwater wreck. Nearly bashed my head in if not for a timely save from Haunter. Please thank Hikari for me, by the way. My little bodyguard has been an absolute sweetheart.”

Bill laughed. “I’m sure my wife would be pleased to hear that. She’s still worried that you might be angry with her. But that aside…” Bill’s eyes took on a twinkle, the man was now fully in researcher mode. “That is quite the specimen you got there. I don’t think I’ve ever really seen one in person before. Is that the cause for your current predicament?”

Nina nodded before remembering that the camera was pointed away from her at the moment. “Yeah, it’s quite the specimen alright…” The girl then proceeded to brief her sponsor about her experience with Dhelmise from start to finish, putting special emphasis on what she felt when she peeked into its mind.

At some point during this, Justin returned with his Scyther, carrying a heavily injured Raticate, its chest heaving in exertion. So they paused while Bill observed the Dhelmise’s feeding process.

The Ghostly Grass Type had no reservations whatsoever. After confirming that Nitey and Charizard would not attack it for feeding, it frantically wrapped its sentient seaweed bits all around the Raticate as it squealed in terror, before abruptly falling silent in slumber.

“Well at least the process seems painless…” But Nina still could not bear to watch, so she averted her eyes until Bill called out to her.

“Fascinating. How much do you actually know about Dhelmise as a species?”

“Not much, really. Only what I read on the Pokedex. Truth be told, I struggled to even remember they existed when I first saw it in the boat.”

Bill responded with a sagely nod. “That’s not surprising. Ghost Pokemon have always been mysterious, but the small sample size of the Dhelmise population makes it even more so. Most of what you read was probably pure speculation from limited observation. For example, that part about Dhelmise being the soul of a seaweed reborn? Utter nonsense. Seaweeds have no soul, my dear. They’re called sea-weed after all.”

Nina couldn’t help but giggle at the look of exasperation on Bill’s face.

“But I digress. From my limited understanding, the Dhelmise are actually a species of parasitic plants, as you might surmise from the Grass typing. The mystery stems from the Ghost Typing. Why is it that on its own, the Dhelmise algae is naught but a plant, but combined with the spirits of a sea vessel — in the form of an anchor and wheel — does it transform into a Pokemon? Quite the intriguing little puzzle don’t you think?”

Nina tilted her head in consideration. “Isn’t it related to what you just said? The spirit? On its own the plant has no spirit or soul to speak of, but once merged with all the sentiments and memories imbued within a ship, it turns into a Ghost. I wouldn’t even be surprised if the process involves assimilating the souls left behind by sailors who perished alongside their vessel.”

“A plausible and astute hypothesis,” said Bill with a proud smile. “But then, why are the Dhelmise native only to Alola and Galar? What makes this phenomenon unique to those two regions?”

Nina had no answer to that. The girl was utterly stumped by that rebuttal. “So where did my Dhelmise come from then?” For more chapters visit novel•fire.net

“Have a good look at that Dhelmise and tell me what you see, Nina.”

The girl frowned and squinted her eyes to do as she was told, wincing ever so slightly at the near-mummified corpse of the Raticate as its vitality escaped it.

“I mean, I see the Dhelmise being suppressed by Nitey and Charizard. The Dhelmise’s true form is just the seaweed if the Pokedex is to be believed… Then there’s the wheel which I’m pretty sure comes from that sunken fishing boat — the aesthetics seem to match from what I remember. And then the anchor… Wait, is it the anchor?”

Bill nodded with the smile of a proud teacher. “Indeed, I have not seen this boat you speak of… But from your description, I would say that the anchor Dhelmise is holding is just a tad too big for that class of shipping vessel, don’t you agree?”

Nina flipped the camera back to her and nodded in enlightenment. “So you’re saying that Dhelmise was a stray?”

“Indeed, the sea currents around Alola are quite tame, but the ones surrounding Galar are fairly violent. To the point where some superstitious sailors have taken to calling it the Dragon’s Vein. Did you find any distinguishable markings on that sunken boat by chance? It would help further elucidate our guess if we can be sure of its origins.”

Nina shook her head with a wry smile. “No. Guess I was too caught up in the excitement. But I did take pictures, so I’ll review them later and see what I can find.”

“Yes, you do that. Meanwhile, let’s discuss the matter of your Dhelmise’s personality…” The professor’s tone took on a more serious note, prompting Nina to straighten her back as well.

“If this Dhelmise did indeed originate from a mindless flora, and shortly after its awakening and throughout its entire existence, it was subjected to a prolonged period of isolation…”

“Then Dhelmise might not be very social. Or rather, it might not even know how to be social.” Nina continued, finishing Bill’s thought.

“Indeed,” said Bill with a frown. “Quite a troubling conundrum isn’t it?”

Nina sighed. “So what do I do then, Bill? How do I even communicate with something that doesn’t even know how to communicate?”

Bill chuckled. “I’ll make some calls. I’m sure Professor Oak will be quite interested in this as well, but I understand he can be very distracted. So I’ll reach out on your behalf. In the meantime, treat it like an animal — feed it, condition it. Use its hunger to your advantage. You told me once that you helped in taming your friend’s Carvanha?”

“Yeah but Dhelmise is very different from Justin’s Carvanha — who has now evolved and is fully obedient by the way. Carvanha was feral, but once you sate his hunger, you could talk to him. Dhelmise though, has no sentient thoughts outside of its hunger. It just… is. I’m not even sure if I want to keep it…” The girl whispered at the end. This Dhelmise went against every arbitrary rule she had about Pokemon training.

“If you’re not planning to keep it then I’ll happily take it off your hands.” Bill said with a hopeful tone. “But still, I do urge you to try. If anything, it will be a good learning experience.”

Nina sighed once more. “Alright, I’ll try my best. Is there any other advice you’d like to give?”

“Yes, actually. You are in Johto at the moment, yes?”

Nina nodded in affirmation. “We just got out of Violet City and are enroute to Azalea Town.”

“Have you been to Ecruteak City yet?”

“No.”

“Good, I will send an email to Gym Leader Morty. Seek him out when you arrive. As you are well aware, ever since Agatha’s passing, the man remains the number one Ghost Pokemon Master in Kanto and Johto, if you were to discount Lady Karen and her scattered interests of course. So I’m sure he will take a keen interest in Dhelmise and might even offer some helpful insight towards training it.”

Nina perked up at Bill's words. “Thanks Bill. I actually made friends with Lady Zuki of the Tsubasa clan while I was in Violet City — you know, the Kimono Girl? I’ll try to reach out on my end as well. Maybe she can arrange for a meeting with Morty. Thanks again, Bill. You’re the best!”

Bill laughed. “Oh my, I shall have to rub your words in Misty’s face when I see her next. Do take care, Nina. It would be a tragedy for the world to lose a young trainer as talented as yourself.”

“Will do!” Nina thanked her sponsor once more and exchanged a few more pleasantries before disconnecting the call.