The Great Pokemon Conspiracies:

~The Old Chateau~

Chapter Twelve-and-a-half: I'm Not Tails

Pssst, it's me, Roselio. I'm not supposed to do anything with Tails' story, but I have something to tell you. So I sneaked this in with hope that Tails didn't see it until you did.

So here's the thing: after the others had already gone outside, I met Gengar again in the corridor of glaring portraits. OK, I didn't actually meet him, he pinched me again, that annoying prankster.

Call me slow-witted or anything you want, but I just realized then that Gengar appears only when I'm alone. That's why Swiftwing keeps teasing me about imaginary friends and whatnot. It was as if Gengar only exists for me.

I asked him why and he said that it was because I was the only "believer" in our party. I understood his point, though - Silversong, Ultramarine, Meta Knight, and Dusk herself all seemed too logical to believe in ghosts. Swiftwing - you don't even have to ask about him. And Tails, although she is sympathetic, still doesn't fully believe in the supernatural.

(See, Tails? I just complimented you. Please do me a favor and keep this chapter in, please?)

Then I asked him why he would only appear in portraits and why he wouldn't go out into the real world.

"Ah, that," Gengar chuckled. "I have nothing against the real world. It's just that the real world is a bit too... Real."

"Too real?" I was confused.

"Yeah. I mean, things aren't looking good for me in the real world, are they? My home has been burnt down, my owner is dead, and I have nowhere to go. So instead of wandering down these cursed corridors, I shall just stay in the world of these portraits. The world I'm in now, and the world I shall be in until who-knows-when."

"Why portraits?"

"Why? Hmm. That's because pictures and their lot are lies."

"You know, that didn't really help," I said.

"I know. I meant, pictures and portraits might not be portraying the truth. Lies. Even portraits of people. You could have your skin whitened, have your shirt painted in purple instead of blue, have your hair lengthened and whatnot; you could manipulate pictures and portraits. That's why I said they were lies."

"Oh."

(Smart answer, Roselio).

"But why would you want to live in them if they're lies?" I asked. (Better).

Gengar smiled. "Because they're beautiful lies," he replied. "After all, you always manipulate them to portray yourself better than you really are. I prefer living here than outside, knowing the painful truth. I'd rather stay here, replaying the moments when I was Clefable over and over again in my head."

"Why don't you go somewhere else? I'm sure you'll find a better place for you to stay than an empty house."

Gengar laughed bitterly. "I'm surprised you asked me that. I thought you already knew the answer to that. If you didn't, well, my answer is "loyalty". Remember the ghost girl your Trainer met in one of the rooms? She was my Trainer. If she's still here, then I'll stay here too until she's ready to leave." Gengar leaned out of the frame towards me, "Because that's what us Pokémon are made for. To be loyal companions of their Trainers."

I nodded furiously. Of course. Loyalty.

And so, here's my message to all you Pokémon Trainers out there: always treat your Pokémon with love, because we were made to accompany you, be friends with you, protect you, fight for you, and be loyal to you no matter what, even after life.

(Yay! Finally I say something deep and meaningful. There. I hope you don't think of me as such a dimwit anymore).