SMUG

Crimson eyes flashed over at the beast as the ghost’s grin magnified with glee. As poison ran down from the sides of his eyes and to the very bottom of his toes, Casper could only watch in awe as he felt something from inside them tugging on his undead heart. It felt warm and bright, but at the same time so malicious and vengeful that the Overlord couldn’t help but rock back and forth with absolute pleasure.

He wasn’t sure why he was feeling this way, but it was obvious that something-- anything-- wanted o u t.

Refusing to look away and to instead further his look deep into the other’s soul, the vengeful spirit only laughed before he finally spoke with a voice that oozed ambition.

“Somethin’ inside of ya REALLY wants out! I can feel it CALLIN’ to me, ya know?”

Casper’s home is located in the darkest depths of the afterlife and is known as the Gehenna. It is a place of destitution and torment that’s covered only in the darkest shadows and thickest fogs, its walls rampant with ghosts just as vile as Casper himself. It’s purpose is to house the souls of Pokemon and humans who have NOT yet been judged and to rehabilitate the souls who have been deemed as damned. This essentially makes Gehenna a prison of the afterlife that is meant to torture and reeducate souls of the damned until they have worked off their sins and are liable for reincarnation.

However, this is a purpose that has been long since forgotten. While souls are still taken there, Casper has rewrote the entire policy since his usurping of the previous ruler. The Gehenna is now nothing more than his  personal playpen where damned and pure souls are harvested for him and his underlings, thus contributing to his overwhelming power that eclipses the abilities of the typical Gengar. This has also caused an overpopulation of souls in the afterlife due to the fact that Casper is not fulfilling his duties justly, preventing souls who have suffered off their sins from reincarnating and making space for new souls. 

“Awww! C’mon, daddykins! I’m not criticizin’ ya! Far from it, actually! If anythin’, I should be THANKIN’ ya!”

“As you let your babies fight ‘n fight like some neglectful dad stuck in a dead end job with no passion to support your family, I get to feed off EVERYONE who dies in the blow out! They AAALLLLL get sent to MY Gehenna where I can harvest, ‘n harvest, ‘n H A R V E S T even more until I’m as fat and plump as a Sitrus Berry! If you got more involved, I wouldn’t be so POWERFUL!”

She relatively had no reason to trust Ghosts, other than the occasional Sensu Oricorio.

Ghosts had been plaguing the peace of the valley ever since Giratina had heard that this was a holy place for Arceus… or at least that’s how the story goes. Daeva sighed, and shook her head.

“…I suppose you staying is fine. But, I’m having both Sugar and Orchid keep heavy watch on you.”

“…I don’t like this at all, Daeva. That smile creeps me the hell out.”

“Yeah, why do we always get the weirdos? Where’re all the hot guys?”

“Oh honey, puh-LEASE. They’re not comin’ ‘cuz you are most DEFINITELY not givin’ em a reason to.”

Disgustingly snotty, overly protective, and the other... ah, now she was a morsel just waiting to be gobbled up. It had been about two centuries since he’s seen a legendary and it was upon looking at her that his undead heart began to beat. There was no mistaking it-- she was a Meloetta-- or THE Meloetta-- and he had to take her energy.

This trap was not in vain, he knew. It would all be a matter of time.

“But enough pot shots, eh? We’re all A D U L T S here, and it’s about mighty dang time we act like it! I can assure you-- Edgar the Jester is at your town’s must humble service.”

He wasn’t sure if she noticed it, but Casper didn’t care. Upon looking at the legendary once more his eyes flashed a brutal crimson while both irises reflected a smile befitting of a maniacal murderer. As he turned his gaze away from her he then gave a small chuckle, almost as if suggesting he had already won while he spoke on.

“Hmmmm! I don’t know HOW I can feel it, but YEP! People are DEFINITELY mad at me!”

“Soooo... You DO have boy parts, eh? And yet you’re a G a r d e v o i r?”

“How PATHETIC! Doesn’t that make you wanna just scream and flog yourself for a good hour!? I can’t IMAGINE a more damning existence!”

Ah, there it was. The absolute deliciousness of mortal kind. To him, they were a confused and flawed bunch just on basis of being alive alone. Casper saw himself as above their pity emotions and preferences, and it was because of this that he was unabashed in his teasing as he snickered with a tone so snake-like that it made him a force of the dark itself-- a predator upon its prey.

“Awww! See!? TOLD YA! I mean no harm to anyone in this happy lil’ town! I’m only lookin’ for some F W E N S!”

Her skepticism was well-founded. She may not have known it, but he was a devil in sheep’s clothing. Beneath that ruffled, clumpy fur and bright grin was a ghost that knew nothing but malice and pain. Had she gave him the opportunity then he’d have left her out to dry in a storm, or perhaps even sap her strength like a spider’s venom did its prey. There was NOTHING about him that was as sweet and cuddly as he suggested, but with bright ol’ eyes he kept himself trained on her and studied her face to the core.

“Why’re you so SCARED for!? Didn’t I tell ya my name ‘n job? I’m Edgar, the happy travelin’ jester! I’m only here to sing poems of heroes of old, of KINGS who have gone down as LEGENDS! Surely someone as BEAU-TI-FUL as you could understand that much, riiiight?”

A pause. A lean in. A wry grin.

Giant teeth revealed themselves in a wicked smile as the Overlord shivered. Solveig’s presence alone was enough to bring in a chill so arctic that the ghost forgot that it was summer. The way their jetblack hair and porcelain skin refused said summer’s light was also enough to draw Casper in, his heart chained by a seductive call from their presence. It was rare indeed that he EVER felt this way for a human, however...

“Youuuuu’re not human, are you?”

How could he be? He looked as beautiful as a doll and had the eyes of Satan himself. There was no way this abomination was like any “trainer” he’s met, but that’s what he adored.

Something new and fresh-- another feast for his dark ambitions that hungered far more than any Guzzlord in the 9th dimension.

“C’mon, baby! Spit it out! I wanna know what you REALLY are! SURELY you’re none too shy to let ol’ Caspy-Waspy know if you’re brave enough to romp about LIKE a human!”

“Awww! Sue-Sue, you DID care enough to visit me AFTER all! You know, I was so worried you wouldn’t be here to give Casp-Pap a kissy-wissy!”

“OH!? WHAT’S THIS!? Someone on this space rock that actually KNOWS who I AM!? Why, I’m h o n o r e d– especially by a naked, skinned cat like yourself! You get ‘em with that moldy skin, hun!”

It was now night time; it was now hellish time, what a time to be deathly yet beautifully alive and endless with work & then some – possibly, all thanks to an all too happy ghost with a grinning of unapologetic, daresay proud, mischievousness. What a mess of Her, what a mess of him. (How…relatable. )    Corpse, bones, skins, blood lost!

       Sorta –….H A P P E N E D !? Do y ou understand gh ost? Growing, growing; back to small again! Tauros out of NOWHERE cause mess, so much…so much filth…I need a…. Cubone…

Whiny, she cries into her wings, voice is purely anguished, ( and not many could distinguish what exactly was being said… ) however, to being real? - Yes, real. What an inconvenience it seemed to played off; but surely there is some genuine suffering for the lost resources of a Queen! She just couldn’t express any better then an actor from terrible movies.

The clueless, blood covered glare is also surprised. Answers , as the vulture takes a long, accusing look, answers! Give her it!

        You’ve had something to do with this?? WHY??

“Awww! Why’d you think I did it!? I mean... I said I was sorry... ‘n I... I feel so... So...”

“GREAT!!!”

His laughter was perhaps so loud that even those in Ultra Space could feel its reverb bounce off the walls of reality. As he sipped the dark-type’s distress as if it were only the finest wine, Casper made sure to recline back against the air as he gave a twirl of a pointer finger.

“I mean, you act as if your ENTIRE home is about to be DESTROYED or somethin’! This is your time to be a HERO, don’t’cha know? I g a v e you the chance to be w o r t h somethin’! You can now go beat up a thousand Tauros ‘n go down in history, known BY ALL as She Who Beat Dumb Bulls Around for an Hour or somethin’!”

“Oh me, oh my! Looks like I just got a TAD bit carried away there! But how COULDN’T I!? You’re just soooo-oooOOOOooOOoOo DREAMY!”

Ah, how fun this had become. It had been ages since he met another ghost outside of the Gehenna and this one had to be the most amusing yet. It fancied itself as above him due to its material possessions and its tomb, both of which were as lavish as any human could dream of. They clung to it as if it were their home itself and were so viciously protective of it that Casper couldn’t even dare look at it without drawing the other’s ire. It was cute and it was adorable, but above all it was so silly and sad that the Overlord of the Gehenna was on the verge of laughing and crying at the same time.

He was dead, was he not? What a fool he was then to hold onto such humanly vices!

“Heyyy! Hey! C’monnn! Lighten up, okay?” Stifling his laughter only slightly, Casper’s mouth oozed a poison so acidic that it scorched the ground as he spoke. “I’m not here to HURT you or even STEAL from you! Why w o u l d I be? Us ghosts? We gotta stick together! It’s a dark-type-eat-ghost-type world out there, y’know? THAT’S why I’m here!”

“Or would you rather I had L E T those two humans trounce about in your halls? Or did you not even K N O W that they were here? Disrespectin’ your quarters? Roamin’ your halls?