Caitlin's voice wasn't loud, but in that half-open clearing, it carried easily to everyone present. Cynthia heard it, and her red eyes narrowed slightly as she instinctively followed Caitlin's gaze.
All that was there was a faint shadow and a barely perceptible trace of Ghost-type energy hanging in the air.
Nothing else.
Cynthia's brow furrowed. She hadn't sensed any sign of life within that shadow, nor even that particular feeling of being watched.
Puzzled, but not ready to press, she stayed quiet and watched Caitlin, waiting for her to continue.
Inside that shadow, Marshadow's normally easygoing little face was written all over with surprise.
Its large eyes had gone wide, and its form, hovering midair, went rigid for a moment.
This person... she can actually see through my disguise?
Marshadow felt genuinely thrown.
Just moments ago, Kairos had sent a thought to it through their mental link, asking it to conceal his presence.
For Marshadow, that was nothing. Marshadow hadn't given it much thought at all and had casually draped a concealing effect over him.
Sure, it hadn't used anything near its full power. Just a fraction.
But short of a Legendary Pokémon, Marshadow was confident no one else could see through it.
And yet this seemingly ordinary human had needed only a single glance to pinpoint exactly where Kairos was standing.
Huh. This human is actually kind of interesting...
Marshadow reached out with its senses and understood immediately.
A psychic.
And judging by the sharpness of her perception, this woman's mental power had reached a genuinely terrifying level.
Still...
Marshadow probed carefully and found that while Caitlin's gaze was locked firmly onto Kairos's position, she didn't seem to have noticed its own presence.
In other words, she had seen through the concealment on Kairos, but hadn't picked up on the fact that the source of that concealment was sitting right on his shoulder. That was something of a relief.
Getting completely seen through would have been embarrassing.
It did mean, though, that Kairos wasn't going to be able to stay hidden any longer.
Inside the shadow, Kairos let out a quiet, resigned sigh.
He had been hoping that with Marshadow covering him, he could just quietly be the invisible man and let the moment pass. But he had clearly underestimated Caitlin's instincts.
This woman's perception was practically supernatural. She had seen right through a disguise put together by Marshadow.
Since she had already called him out by name, there was no point in staying hidden.
He had to go say hello.
Kairos gave Marshadow a small nod.
A moment later, the hazy, ethereal shadow wrapped around him pulled back like a receding tide.
His figure was revealed, completely and without reservation, to everyone present.
Caitlin watched him appear, and the corners of her mouth curved upward, taking on an expression that said "I knew it."
Her pink eyes swept over him from head to toe.
Then she turned toward Will beside her, raised an eyebrow, and asked with a note of genuine curiosity:
"Who is this?"
Will was a little thrown himself.
He had clearly watched Kairos standing right there, seen the young man vanish, and now Caitlin had pulled him back out again.
He knew perfectly well that the kind of concealment that had slipped past even his own senses was absolutely Marshadow's doing.
What he couldn't quite figure out was why Marshadow had hidden Kairos in the first place.
And what surprised him even more was that Caitlin had seen through a disguise of that caliber.
That was a Legendary Pokémon's work...
But since Kairos had already shown himself, Will couldn't very well pretend not to know him.
He had been about to make a proper introduction. That much was only right.
Kairos had done more than anyone to resolve this Ghost World crisis. Without the game he'd provided, the whole thing would likely have spiraled into complete chaos by now. Someone who had done that much deserved to be introduced with some real respect.
"This person is..."
Will had only gotten halfway through when he caught Kairos shooting him a look.
Subtle. Meant only for him.
Will was experienced enough to read a room. He didn't spend much time dealing with the social politics of the outside world, but his ability to pick up on what people actually wanted was perfectly intact.
He understood right away.
Kairos didn't want his identity shared.
This kid... clearly this capable, and still this under the radar?
Will didn't quite get it, but he also understood that if Kairos didn't want to say, he had his reasons.
So he swallowed the rest of his sentence and pivoted smoothly:
"This is... a friend of mine."
That landed in a brief silence.
The word "friend" covered an enormous range. A casual acquaintance? A close one? Something more? Will's words were vague to the point of being almost useless, and yet there was nothing technically wrong with them.
Seeing Will catch on that fast, Kairos quietly breathed a little easier.
He didn't let Will go any further with it. Instead, he stepped forward himself, wearing a perfectly measured, easy smile.
"Hey, good to meet you both. I'm Kairos."
His gaze moved between Cynthia and Caitlin.
"I've heard a lot about you. Didn't expect to actually run into two legends at the same time. Must be my lucky day."
Cynthia looked at this young man who had appeared out of nowhere, a flicker of surprise moving through her eyes.
She could tell Kairos wasn't putting up any kind of front or deliberately hiding anything. If anything, he carried himself with a straightforward openness.
And going by his tone, he wasn't making small talk. He genuinely didn't seem particularly affected by either of their reputations.
That level of ease... it was as though he simply wasn't all that impressed by who they were.
Caitlin, unlike Cynthia, wasn't much for pleasantries. She kept her eyes on Kairos, her gaze carrying a probing quality.
"How did you do that, just now? That concealment."
She asked the question that was at the front of her mind.
She was certain that what had happened wasn't something any ordinary Pokémon technique could produce. That kind of effect, capable of deceiving the senses and even blocking out psychic detection, had been as though he had simply ceased to exist entirely.
Against this, Kairos had his answer ready to go.
He couldn't reveal Marshadow's existence. That much was obvious.
So he gave his wrist a quick flick and the Poké Ball in his hand snapped open, a flash of red light cutting through the air.
A purple figure materialized in front of everyone.
His Gengar.
Though this time, Gengar wasn't its usual cheerful, grinning self. Its aura was pulled in tight, and it floated quietly behind Kairos with an unusually serious expression.
Kairos reached out and gave Gengar a light pat on the head, gesturing toward it.
"It was him. He has a particular talent for that kind of thing."
Cynthia shifted her gaze to the Gengar.
Caitlin's eyes narrowed slightly, her formidable psychic power sweeping outward to cover it in an instant.
Cynthia felt a flicker of surprise first.
This Gengar... was sitting at early Champion-tier strength?
And judging by how settled that aura felt, it seemed like it had only recently hit that level.
But the Kairos standing in front of her couldn't have been older than his mid-twenties. And he already had a Pokémon this strong? When she herself had been his age, hadn't she still been hovering somewhere around the Elite Four threshold?
No wonder he was at Will's side and could be called Will's "friend."
Cynthia's read on Kairos went up several notches all at once.
Young, capable, and not easily rattled.
This was genuinely someone worth keeping an eye on.
Caitlin had also sensed Gengar's aura and was equally surprised.
Her rank was Elite Four, but her actual strength had long since reached Champion level.
The Gengar in front of her was certainly no match for her own main Pokémon, but it wasn't soft either. Its aura was solid and grounded.
What stood out in particular was that faint, distinctive quality running just beneath the surface, which told her it carried pure and powerful Ghost-type energy.
But even so...
She still had a nagging feeling that the concealment from before, the one that had slipped right past her perception, wasn't something this Gengar was actually capable of.
That sensation had been cleaner. More... refined.
Still, Caitlin had no intention of pushing further.
They were all Trainers. Who didn't have a few things they'd rather keep to themselves?
As long as there was no ill intent on the other end, keeping something under wraps was entirely reasonable.
Caitlin decided to let it go and simply nodded.
"Caitlin."
She offered her name, plainly and without ceremony. Her tone stayed cool, but for her, this was already a real courtesy.
People who tried to get on her good side on a regular day didn't even get a glance.
But someone young and capable like this? Getting acquainted wasn't a bad idea.
"I'm Cynthia. Really nice to meet you."
Cynthia smiled warmly.
"At your age, with a Pokémon that strong... somehow I've never heard of you before."
There was quiet admiration in her voice.
"Even so, I have a feeling I'll be seeing your name on the Kanto Elite Four rankings before long. Would you like me to put in a word?"
Behind those calm eyes, her mind was actually moving quickly.
No matter how she looked at it, this person didn't seem like any ordinary friend of Will's.
By any logic, someone this young and this strong should have been well-known by now. Whether through tournaments or just general activity in the field, word would have gotten out.
And yet, factoring in the complete absence of any news about him from the outside world...
Cynthia paused. A thought rose to the surface.
Could this be Will's secret kid?
Will came across as serious enough, but back in his younger days, who really knew...
The kid was strong, steady, and Will was clearly going out of his way to shield his identity...
The more she turned it over, the more it seemed to fit.
Kairos had absolutely no idea her imagination had already gone that far.
He heard the offer and simply shook his head.
"I appreciate it, but I don't really have plans in that direction right now."
What was she talking about? He wasn't a Trainer. He made games for a living.
"Anyway, did you two come to the Ghost World because of the game?"
He redirected the conversation smoothly.
He had no intention of letting this line of questioning keep going. If Cynthia actually set up some kind of "special assessment" for him, that was a headache he didn't need.
The moment those words landed, the topic shifted entirely.
Cynthia nodded, making no effort to hide it.
"That's right."
Caitlin said nothing, but her quiet agreement was plain on her face.
Kairos continued:
"Ha, honestly, same here. I heard this round's rewards are a step up from the last one, so I figured I'd come see what I could get out of it."
He paused.
"On that note, I'm going to go knock out some quests."
"It was really good meeting you both. I'll leave you and Will to catch up."
And with that, Kairos turned and walked away.
Marshadow, still concealed nearby, watched with something close to disbelief.
What is this guy's deal?
What did he mean, he was going to go do quests?
Wasn't this game something he himself had made?
The quests in it were designed by him. What exactly did he have to go and do?
This person really knew how to sell a line.
Still, Marshadow said nothing. Its form flickered, and it slipped quietly after Kairos.
Will watched Kairos's retreating figure and slowly pieced together what had just happened.
This Kairos... honestly didn't seem all that interested in getting to know Cynthia and Caitlin any better.
He had made up an excuse and walked off.
The Champion of Sinnoh and a member of the Elite Four. And this guy had exchanged a few words and just left.
Not that there was anything wrong with it.
Someone like him, if not for the Ghost World situation, probably wouldn't have gone out of his way to get to know Will either.
Not every person was someone you were looking to get close to.
With that thought settled, Will turned to the two women in front of him with a smile.
"Since you've come for the game, I'll say thank you on behalf of the Ghost World. You've both genuinely done us a favor."
"I've been playing for a while, so if anything's unclear, feel free to ask."
Cynthia gave a nod.
"Thank you. Though the game's onboarding is... already pretty thorough."
She had taken a quick look at it just now, and the guidance was considerably more detailed than anything in the Ruby and Emerald games or the rescue team titles. Even someone completely new to it could probably figure things out without any help. She wondered if it had something to do with how closely it mirrored the real world.
Will caught that as well.
"Fair point. The quest system tells players exactly where to go the moment they take on a task. I suppose you don't really need me walking you through anything."
"In that case, I'll go work on some quests myself."
Will didn't linger. His form shifted and he dropped into the shadow beneath his feet, vanishing without a trace.
Cynthia glanced up at the quest board in front of her.
"Ready to head out?"
But Caitlin didn't move right away. She was looking in the direction Kairos had gone, a strange expression on her face.
A thoughtful light flickered behind her eyes.
"Hey, Cynthia. Didn't something feel a little off about that guy just now?"
Cynthia stopped and looked back at her.
"He did seem a bit odd... though..."
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~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones