Pokémon: Dreams Come True Starting in Sinnoh

"Everything you're doing now is to help her achieve her dream, right?"

Ash crouched down, keeping his line of sight parallel to Night Patrol's, and asked this question.

“DU~”

Finally, under Ash's watchful gaze, Night Patrol spoke and nodded.

"If that's the case, what is the old man's dream? You should also know that their idea of ​​turning this place into a world-famous haunted house is impossible to achieve, and they never even intended to achieve it in the first place."

"..."

The Night Watcher remained silent; it understood all of this perfectly well.

"Since you know, there's no need to keep deceiving yourself, right?"

"DU!"

Night Patrol suddenly floated forward a step, looking at Ash with resentful eyes.

If I don't do it this way, what should I do?

Although Ash couldn't understand Nightwatch's words, he still managed to glean the meaning from its language and actions.

It is cruel to deprive the Night Watchers of their hope of living, but this is what the old man wanted, and it is also what the Night Watchers wanted.

This is its home turf, and it could easily stop all its actions if it wanted to, but it didn't.

“If you don’t want me to say this, you can stop me from the beginning. There’s no need to keep deceiving yourself.”

Ghost-type Pokémon have very long lifespans, so long that it seems like there's no end in sight.

However, their long lifespan doesn't mean they actually like staying in one place. Ghost-type Pokémon like dark places, but that doesn't mean they like being alone. Gastly will travel in groups and bring themselves joy through pranks over long periods of time.

This night-watching spirit can gain nothing here; all it can get is a twisted sense of satisfaction, and it is clearly aware of this.

Thinking this, Xiao Zhi began to flip through the diary, the entries stopping at the point before and after the old woman and her husband uttered that strange statement—

Monday, sunny

"Mr. Ghost seemed quite happy after we told him we wanted to turn this place into a world-famous haunted house. After all, he's been wanting to repay us ever since we rescued him... We're sorry, but we really can't think of anything he needs. Maybe this goal will make him a little happier~"

......

"Sunday, sunny"

"Although I feel bad for the customers who were scared away, Mr. Ghost's mood has really improved lately. The deep-seated pain he felt when his companions attacked and drove him away seems to be gradually easing. This at least proves that our idea was correct, right? But we have to keep this a secret from Mr. Ghost, otherwise he'll throw a tantrum if he finds out."

......

"Wednesday, rainy day"

"He's been gone for a while now, and it's just Mr. Ghost and me left... I don't know how long this will last... Mr. Ghost seems very sad about his departure, so I should be stronger, right? How can we go on if we're both overwhelmed by grief...?"

......

Sunday

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I can't hold on much longer, Mr. Ghost... That's all I can remember calling you... I'm about to lose you... But most importantly, I've forgotten our promise."

"I can feel you're trying so hard, but I don't dare ask. I can only follow your lead... I don't know if this is what you want, but I have no one else to rely on in this world. As long as you're happy... the promise will probably fade away in the river of time when I leave... But really... I'm sorry..."

......

The last diary entry was not written in a notebook, but on a separate piece of letter paper.

Although Xiaozhi didn't understand why the old man did this, he figured it must be because the old man felt guilty towards the Night Patrol Spirits, and that's why he wanted to record it in this special way to find some peace of mind.

However, the old man's seemingly compassionate heart actually placed a strong shackle on the Night Patrol Spirit, trapping it for thousands of years.

The whole story is ridiculous. The old man was thinking about making the Night Watchman happy before he died; and the Night Watchman was thinking about how to fulfill the wishes that the old man had made for it before and after the old man's passing.

Who actually wants this wish to be fulfilled?

This wish, like a sad and helpless dark comedy, tightly bound the hearts of the two.

Ash guessed that the reason Nightwatch was able to keep the old man's soul here was perhaps because the old man's attachment to this world was too deep before his death. Otherwise, even with its talent, Nightwatch wouldn't be able to do this with its own power.

Even though her memories were gone, and the Night Watcher's touch only frightened the old woman, she still deeply missed her old friend who seemed to be constantly by her side, longing to see it again and hear its voice once more...

Perhaps only after doing all this will the elderly truly feel at ease?

The light in the Night Watcher's pupils flickered; it could not cry, its body trembled incessantly.

It cried out, no longer maintaining the silence it had kept for a thousand years so as not to frighten the old man. Its voice was hoarse, falling to the ground, one cry after another, as if it were vomiting out its soul that had been grieving for a thousand years.

"Ash...is that his name?"

The old man sighed deeply, a hint of reluctance flashing in his usually calm, still eyes.

Although she had forgotten everything, the mournful cries of the Night Watcher deeply stirred her heart.

The lonely soul seemed to understand her final mission at that moment, and she spoke softly, pleading:

"Could you please bring it to me?"

"...certainly."

Ash bent down and gently held Nightwatch in his arms, then placed it in the old man's trembling outstretched arms.

"I'm sorry, but could you please describe what it looks like to me again?"

The old man's body seemed to begin to tremble, and his voice sounded weary and bitter.

"Hmm... It's quite small, only about half a meter tall... Its body is spherical and dark, with only its pupils flashing red. It wears a skull mask on its head, which is quite cute."

"Yeah."

The old man's tone gradually returned to calm.

Her hands slowly caressed the Night Watcher's body; though she couldn't touch it, she smiled and said:

"I can feel it...it's icy cold, but also very warm..."

"DU!"

Upon hearing this, the Night Patrol Spirit could no longer suppress its emotions and floated onto the old man's shoulder, whereupon a wisp of black mist rose up.

At the very least, she should be able to see her own face clearly; absolutely not...

Driven by this obsession, the Night Patrol Spirit relentlessly explored the power within its body, but no matter how hard it tried, it could not attach its illusions to the old man.

That's just the rule.

For a ghost to be given senses, it must be possessed by a night watchman; no matter how hard it tries, it cannot break this rule.

"That's enough... You don't need to try anymore... I understand your feelings."

The old man's gentle tone continuously eroded the Night Watcher's heart; it had never hated its own weakness so much.

"Sigh." The old man sighed deeply. "Those who leave first are cruel... They leave loneliness and sorrow to the survivors, making them carry the burden of mission and responsibility..."

"Although I can't remember clearly... I can understand that kind of pain... I'm so sorry to make you continue to suffer like that..."

The old man's voice trembled and became unclear. Xiao Zhi noticed that the old man's figure was beginning to dim; it seemed that the time for parting had finally come...

The soul that has wandered for a thousand years can finally rest in peace. Should this be a relief for the old man?

The Night Watcher knew it could no longer keep the old man, so it could only land on the ground in self-reproach and wail as the old man's figure gradually disappeared.

"I'm sorry," the old man said before he left. "I've caused you so much pain... I don't know if these words are good or bad for you... but I really hope you can live a happy and fulfilling life in the future."

The old man's figure almost completely disappeared, and the Night Patrol Spirit kept his last words in its heart.

Finally, there's also—

"Thank you so much for taking so long... Mr. Ghost, thank you..."

The old woman's voice echoed in the dim and cramped basement, leaving only Ash and Nightwatch to watch her final journey under the pale blue light of the fire.

Those who came before us have departed, and those who come after us can only carry their visions, forcing ourselves to forget our sorrow and move towards the future.

……

P.S.: Daily request for gifts~ (The official team has basically given this book a death sentence, and there's no more content available on weekends, so I can only rely on your free gifts (；へ：))