Now that he was the champion of the Trial Tournament, college was no longer a concern for him.
After wrapping up the topic of the college entrance exams, the two began chatting about travel plans.
Before long, evening arrived.
The sound of the front door opening came from outside.
Then, Nathan's father Jerry voice rang out.
"Is Nathan back?"
"He's back, in his room," Juliet replied.
Soon after, the door to Nathan's room opened.
Seeing Nathan's father walk in, Sam greeted him with a smile. "Uncle!"
"So Sam's here too," Jerry said with a cheerful nod. Then, he pulled out a red and white Poké Ball and handed it to Nathan.
"Open it and see if you like it. I went through a lot to get this little guy from a friend. Cost me a good bit too."
"Hehe, I've been looking forward to this."
Nathan took the Poké Ball, eyes filled with anticipation, and pressed the button.
A flash of red light burst out.
A tiny figure appeared in front of Nathan—but at the same time, the temperature in the room dropped noticeably.
It was a very small creature, shaped somewhat like Pikachu at first glance. But a closer look revealed it was actually just a tattered cloth used as a disguise.
The moment he saw this little guy, Sam froze, then immediately backed into the corner with a fearful expression.
"Holy crap, Uncle, why'd you give Nathan this Pokémon?"
"Relax, this little one's very friendly," Jerry said with a laugh.
The little creature gave Sam a strange look, then turned its gaze to Nathan, who had been staring at it intently, a curious expression on its face.
"Mimikyu, hello. I'll be your Trainer from now on—Nathan."
Nathan smiled joyfully and reached out his right hand toward the little one.
It seemed like Mimikyu had never seen a human smile at it like that before. It froze in place for a moment.
Then, it slowly walked forward, the cloth draped over its body brushing gently against Nathan's hand, as if expressing its goodwill.
Viridian Power activated.
Nathan could hear Mimikyu's voice in his mind.
"Hello, Trainer!"
…
Mimikyu
Type: Ghost + Fairy
Species: Disguise Pokémon
Mimikyu is a unique Pokémon. As a Ghost-type, it's surrounded by many chilling rumors.
But all those rumors have one thing in common: fear.
What Nathan saw just now wasn't Mimikyu's true appearance. The Pikachu-like form was a disguise—nothing more than a piece of cloth with eyes, a mouth, and a nose drawn on it.
Mimikyu's real eyes were the two small holes on its stomach.
What truly makes Mimikyu frightening is the body hidden beneath the cloth.
There's a rumor that anyone who sees Mimikyu's true form will be cursed with a strange illness. That's why you must never try to look under the cloth.
It's also said that a researcher once peeked inside and was so terrified that he died from shock.
Other tales speak of Trainers who accidentally saw Mimikyu's true form when the cloth was blown by the wind—only to writhe in agony and die later that same night.
Ghost-type Pokémon are inherently linked with the supernatural. Still, most Trainers aren't afraid of Ghost-types—except for Mimikyu.
It's one of the most feared and avoided Ghost-type Pokémon.
That said, Mimikyu is also incredibly powerful. A few elite Ghost-type Trainers around the world have trained Mimikyu to be formidable fighters.
Yet its true form remains a mystery to this day.
Nathan didn't have any intention of uncovering it either.
The stories alone were terrifying enough—true or not. There was no point in taking that kind of risk.
That'd be no different from courting death.
Despite its frightening rumors, Mimikyu is actually one of the most loyal partners a Trainer could have—as long as you never try to see what's beneath its disguise.
It will cry if its true form is about to be exposed.
It wears the disguise because it's lonely and wants to interact with others—Pokémon or humans alike.
And if its cloth gets torn, it will spend the night patching it up.
All these behaviors show that Mimikyu has no malicious intent. It's simply born with an uncontrollable power, which causes harm to anyone who glimpses its real form.
That's why it dares not show itself to others.
Even the disguise it wears is tied to its unique Ability:
Disguise
This is Mimikyu's special Ability.
[Name: Mimikyu]
[Ability: Disguise! (Negates the first damaging move in every battle completely!)]
[Type: Ghost + Fairy]
[Description: A Pokémon regarded as a harbinger of misfortune and calamity by many Trainers. No one dares uncover its true appearance—not even the curious. But few understand the deep loneliness that hides within. Fearing its powers may bring death to others, Mimikyu hides in solitude. It wants friends but is too afraid to get close. (Friendly reminder: Do not damage its disguise cloth. If you do, it will hunt you to the death.)]
[Level: 16 (Growth Stage: Levels 11–20)]
[Moves: Baby-Doll Eyes, Astonish, Shadow Sneak, Double Team, Hex]
Looking at Mimikyu's profile, Nathan couldn't help but be impressed.
Despite only being level 16, it already had a number of powerful and useful moves.
But its real strength lay in its unique Ability—Disguise.
Similar to Slaking's Truant, Disguise was an innate trait. The moment Mimikyu donned its disguise, it gained this powerful Ability.
It allows Mimikyu to completely negate the first damaging move in a battle—whether it's a Z-Move or a Dynamax move.
It can only be used once per battle, but that one time is often enough to turn the tide.
"Q"
Mimikyu rubbed its tiny body against Nathan's palm, then floated up and perched on his shoulder, brushing against his cheek.
The cold touch made Nathan shiver a little.
He had to admit—having a Ghost-type in the heat of summer felt like built-in air conditioning. Pretty nice.
"Alright, little one, come back for now," Nathan said with a smile, patting Mimikyu.
"Q~Q!"
Mimikyu nodded. A red beam of light flashed as it returned to its Poké Ball.
Jerry smiled. "Looks like you really like that little guy. That's good—but just be careful."
"Don't worry, Dad," Nathan replied, nodding and clipping the Poké Ball to his belt.
Jerry didn't say more and left the room.
As soon as he left, Sam leaned in. "Nate, are you really gonna train that Pokémon? It's just… creepy."
"What's so creepy about it?" Nathan chuckled. "Sure, the rumors about Mimikyu are scary, but I don't think any of them want to hurt their Trainers. Just like all captured Pokémon, if you treat them well, they won't do anything bad."
"Still gives me the creeps," Sam muttered. "Mimikyu's the one Pokémon I'm most afraid of. What if you accidentally see its real form and die? That'd be such a dumb way to go."
"Relax. I'm not like you. In my hands, Mimikyu is going to become a powerful Pokémon."
"You're the boss, Nate. You're always right."
Sam shrugged. Since Nathan had already accepted Mimikyu, there was no way he'd convince him to swap it out. That wasn't even on the table.
All he could do was remind Nathan to be careful and avoid any mishaps.
That was just Sam looking out for him, and Nathan appreciated it with a smile.
At the same time, he pulled out his phone and started looking up info and tutorials on sewing repairs—stroking his chin thoughtfully as he studied.
This stuff would definitely come in handy for Mimikyu in the future.
…
"Nate, want to have a battle?"
After dinner, Sam asked Nathan.
"Sure."
Nathan nodded and said, "I'll use Mimikyu for this one."
"Hehe, sounds good. I just caught a new Pokémon myself." Sam nodded.
Since there wasn't enough space at home for a battle, the two of them headed to a nearby battle arena. In this world, there are quite a few battle arenas open to the public where Trainers can freely battle.
Luckily, when they arrived, the nearby arena was unoccupied, so they could start right away.
Buzz.
Sam swung the Poké Ball in his hand. A beam of light shot out, and a Pokémon appeared in front of Nathan.
"Huh? Garlic-headed turtle?"
Seeing the Pokémon, Nathan couldn't help but be surprised.
Sam rolled his eyes. "Nate, that's Squirtle, not some garlic-headed turtle."
Cough cough. "I know, I know." Nathan rubbed his nose—he just misidentified it. Somehow, the image automatically turned meme-like in his mind.
Squirtle was one of the original starter Pokémon. Nathan didn't expect Sam to have caught one—he had to admit, it was pretty lucky.
Nathan took Mimikyu's Poké Ball, pressed the button, and in a flash of light, Mimikyu appeared on the battlefield.
"Q~"
Mimikyu looked at the Squirtle across from it, then turned to glance at Nathan. It immediately understood that a battle was about to begin and got ready.
Since there was no referee, the battle began the moment Mimikyu appeared.
"Squirtle, Water Gun!" Sam quickly gave the order.
"Squirtle!"
Squirtle responded and immediately shot out a stream of water aimed at Mimikyu.
Nathan calmly said, "Mimikyu, dodge it, then use Astonish."
Mimikyu lightly leaped to the side, swiftly avoiding the Water Gun. Then, it let out a sudden piercing scream—shrill and chilling, like a wailing ghost.
The sudden shriek...