"Hmmph! (Keep runnin', ya candle-stand! Next time, I'll melt ya into wax!)" Dusknoir bellowed at the fleeing Chandelure's silhouette.
Su Feng's eye twitched. "What kind of internet troll dialect is this?"
"Wait—you understand me?!" Dusknoir whirled around, stunned. Living humans shouldn't comprehend ghost speech—unless… Was this kid on death's doorstep? Its fingers twitched with glee. Bonus soul-collecting quota!
Unaware of Dusknoir's grim speculation, Su Feng's livestream exploded:
[Did… did Feng's hand just PHASE THROUGH the girl?!]
[Rewound the footage—100% no-clip mode activated.]
[So the waifu who's been trailing him is… ghost flavor?]
[I'd piss myself on the spot.]
[Ghost? Ghost?! Sign me up—she's cute!]
[Bro, humans shouldn't… at least they ought not to—]
Su Feng leveled a "Explain. Now." stare at Lila.
The ghost girl shrunk. "I… didn't mean to hide it."
Dusknoir floated between them. "Hmm. (She's Lila, a lost soul from the spirit realm. Escaped ghosts forget their pasts—wander near exits. Only if they rediscover their names do fragments return.)"
Su Feng nodded. Lila's earlier amnesia had been genuine.
"Hmm. (Souls instinctively drain the living on contact. Even proximity erodes vitality… potentially to death.)" Dusknoir eyed Su Feng's faintly withered aura. Lucky I arrived early.
Another nod. Su Feng felt that drain firsthand.
"Hmm? (You seem to know my role…?)" Dusknoir probed.
"Just… heard rumors." Su Feng dodged.
Shrugging, Dusknoir turned to Lila. "Hmm. (Decades till your reincarnation slot. Don't blow it.)"
"Yes, Mr. Dusknoir…" Lila murmured.
"Hmm. (Bid farewell to this 'kind' gentleman.)" Dusknoir emphasized "kind" with sarcastic weight.
Su Feng scratched his head sheepishly. His "rescue" had indeed backfired. The natural order demanded separation—human and ghost weren't meant to coexist.
As for Chandelure and Shuppet? They'd likely sensed Lila's vulnerable spirit and attacked to devour her. Without intervention, she'd have been consumed.
A sudden realization struck Su Feng. Where's Haunter?! A mere Shuppet shouldn't delay her this long—unless something went wrong.
"Mr. Dusknoir! Did you see a Haunter on your way?"
"Hmm? (The one who ambushed me? No.)"
"I'll pay for your help!" Su Feng yanked out a jar of Ghost-type Poké Puffs—Haunter's favorite.
"Hmm. (No need for bribes—)" Dusknoir pocketed the jar into its belly-maw. "Hmm. (Wait here. I'll—)"
A shadowy figure burst through the wall. Haunter!
Relief flooded Su Feng—until he noticed her agitated state.
"Haunter, what's wro—"
Spotting Dusknoir, Haunter's eyes flared. A Shadow Ball materialized instantly.
"STOP—!"
Too late. The attack launched.
Dusknoir sighed, absorbing the orb into its stomach. Boom. Black smoke seeped from its mouth seams.
Su Feng: "…"
This felt like a slapstick cartoon.
"Hmm. (Feisty, aren't ya?)" Dusknoir wiped its maw.
Haunter ignored it, drifting weakly to Su Feng.
"Ghee… (Feng… I can't hold back…)"
Su Feng: "…"
Phrasing.
Recognizing the signs, he stepped back. Haunter's form erupted in radiant light—her evolution, no longer suppressible.
Dusknoir whistled. "Hmm. (Shiny Haunter evolving? Rare sight.)"