In the world of Spirits, the flow of time is but an illusion; a thread that can be tampered with and weaved however its residents so desire. Perhaps, then, it is not too surprising to learn that much of the realm seems plunged into nighttime. This is certainly the case in the dark, spooky forest clearing that is home to Jinji the Gengar and his Ghostly brethren. Though light is provided by a starry sky and a large, full moon, the darkness of the “night” causes everything in the area to take on an eerie dark-blue tone.
While the atmosphere may seem gloomy and depressing all the time, to the Ghosts, nothing could be further from the truth. The eternal night gives them a perfect excuse to spend as long as they wish enjoying their favourite past-times, each of the spirits having the sense of joviality flowing through them. Thus, perhaps it is no surprise that on this particular night – if indeed there is a way to split one night from another in this realm – we find Jinji in his room, in an upstairs corner of the spooky mansion that the forest clearing surrounds, playing games with the younger members of the Ghostly family.
“Your Turn, Haunts”, the Gengar says to one of the Haunter sitting in his circle. Tonight, the Ghosts appear to be playing a board game of an unidentifiable nature; one whose rules and board design is no longer familiar to mortal kind, but which the Ghosts have learned to the point that playing is now second-nature to them. The Haunter picks up the two ebony dice; then, rather than shake them in his jagged, claw-like hand, he places them in his mouth and lets the dice roll along his lengthy tongue, before allowing them to drop onto the game board fully shaken. The act causes the other ghosts to giggle with glee; they enjoy the silliness of the unconventional roll. Soon the various Gastly are imitating the method, finding it far easier than their previous method of levitating the dice, a method necessitated by their lack of hands.
As the game begins to reach its conclusion, a sudden shudder causes him to peer out of a window and look out to the large, open space spread out behind the mansion. Here, among another group of various Ghost-type Pokémon, Jinji observes one of the few non-Ghost types he has allowed into his realm, a Voltorb, being thrown around like it was but a mere beach ball. These Ghosts are playing a form of “Hot Potato”, throwing the angered Voltorb between one another, knowing that it is within the nature of Voltorb to be unstable and to explode randomly and violently at any moment. Inevitably, as the Voltorb passes into the hands of a Sableye, the Voltorb finally self-destructs; and the Sableye is caught in a sizeable blast that ripples through the forest.
As the smoke clears, the Sableye dusts himself off and returns to a standing position. He giggles; and it is soon turned into a full-on laugh, echoed by the other Ghost Pokémon in their circle. Being Ghost-types, the normal-type Explosion causes no harm to any of the players of the game; and the explosive nature of their little game of chance simply provides them with a thrill. Sableye takes the exploded Voltorb to be healed, the explosion eliminating both of them from the game; and a Duskclops in the group picks up a new Voltorb, as the game continues with the remaining members. Jinji observes the action for some time with glee, his own love of fireworks sated by what he sees, before returning to his own circle to complete the game at hand.
The games completed, Jinji clears up his room and sits down at his desk to study. Though he may be a fun-lover, Jinji has a serious nature as well, and continues to educate himself on the ways of mortals, as well as on various kinds of magics he can share with the other Ghosts in order to strengthen them all. But something breaks his concentration; and he swiftly moves off his seat just as two of the younger Gastly proceed to tip a pail of water where he sat. The two Gastly express disappointment in their failure to catch Jinji unawares, but Jinji laughs and tells them he enjoyed the attempt. The Gengar is far too wise to be caught on the hop, but knows this won’t be the last time the other Ghosts will attempt to prank him – and he will likely return the favour sometime, too. After all, there is rarely a dull moment in the house of Jinji.