Chapter 187: The Cofagrigus Comes Calling
The next morning, Will sat up, his eyes heavy. After what had happened last night, he hadn't been able to sleep. He had forced his eyes shut until dawn, but had only managed to get a little rest. He had been too worried, afraid that the spirit and the Cofagrigus would come for them in the middle of the night to silence them.
It wasn't that he was afraid. If he died, he would just come back stronger in the next life and get his revenge. But the problem was that Meowscarada and Seigo couldn't die.
Regarding yesterday's events, Will had more or less formed two theories.
The first was that the spirit was looking for a replacement body, an idea he'd gotten from a similar event in the anime. A spirit girl had tried to lure Ash into the Spirit World.
The second theory was that the Cofagrigus and the spirit needed their help. This made sense because they hadn't been attacked when they first entered the castle. With the Cofagrigus's strength, it could have easily taken them all out.
"But no matter what, getting involved with them feels like a bad idea. We're leaving today," Will said, turning to Meowscarada, who was just sitting up. Her fur was a mess. Clearly, she hadn't slept well either.
"Where's Sprigatito?" Will asked, looking around.
"Meow~" Meowscarada called out wearily.
The room was silent.
Will and Meowscarada looked at each other, their eyes wide. In an instant, two green blurs were tearing the hotel room apart.
"Not here!"
"Meow!"
"Check next door!"
"Meow!"
They burst out of the room. Will was just about to knock on Seigo's door when he found it was already ajar. He pushed it open and walked in. The sight that greeted him made his face darken.
"Meow..." Meowscarada, on his shoulder, let out a low growl.
Seigo was tied up with a pile of bandages and tossed in a corner. And the Cofagrigus was holding Sprigatito.
"Hisss," the Cofagrigus said, seeing them. It waved its four hands in greeting. From its voice, it was a male.
"...What do you want?" Will asked, frowning. He was shocked that it had dared to come out of the castle in broad daylight, and right into the middle of a bustling town.
But now was not the time to think about that. He had to resolve this situation. He wasn't scared; the situation was different from last night. If he made a move here, the police station across the street would be alerted instantly.
"Hisss-hiss," the Cofagrigus waved its hands. It meant no harm. It had only tied up Seigo because the man wouldn't stop shouting and trying to take its picture.
"Meow~" The Sprigatito in its arms wagged her tail, confirming its story.
Will and Meowscarada relaxed their battle stance.
"Hisss?"
"Yes, we saw it."
"Hisss... hiss..." The Cofagrigus's expression turned grim. It knew that the Dusknoir that came to capture the spirit were getting stronger. It might not be able to win the next fight.
"What is that spirit to you?"
"Hisss."
Thump. Seigo's head hit the floor as he struggled, but neither of them paid him any attention.
"Then do you know that by forcibly keeping your trainer's spirit here, he might suffer a terrible fate when he is finally dragged back to the Spirit World?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow. It seemed this Cofagrigus was not a threat, but he hadn't expected that the young spirit was its trainer. For a seventeen or eighteen-year-old kid to have raised a Pokémon to the Elite Four level was astonishing.
"Hisss," the Cofagrigus nodded. But it was his trainer's own decision. As his Pokémon, he just had to support him.
"So? Why must he stay? And why did you come to us?"
"Mmph! Mmph!" The gagged Seigo was shouting. No one cared.
"Hiss, hiss," the Cofagrigus pointed towards the castle. It meant that his trainer had to be the one to explain. It had lived for hundreds of years, but had barely ever communicated with humans or other Pokémon. Its linguistic logic was a mess, and it couldn't explain such a complex situation.
"Go there now?"
"Hisss," it shook its head. They couldn't see his trainer during the day. They had to go at night.
"I'll think about it."
"Hisss," the Cofagrigus nodded. It didn't force him. It put down Sprigatito and turned to leave, but not before bowing, its four hands pressed together, begging him to come.
Will watched it go.
"Meow?" Meowscarada asked, looking for his decision.
"...You two stay here. I'll go alone," Will decided after a moment. He was 90% sure they weren't a threat, but just in case, it was better to leave Meowscarada and the others behind.
"Meow," Meowscarada shook her head. She wanted to go too.
"No. You all have to stay outside. It's safest for me to go alone. That Cofagrigus probably can't catch me, but it can catch you," Will said firmly. A Cofagrigus's base Speed stat is only 30. It was even slower than a Torterra. Even with its high level, it had no chance of catching him when he was using Extreme Speed.
And now, he could even combine Extreme Speed with Agility. It was more than enough to handle most situations.
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