Unveiling the Mystery Behind the Gengar and Doppelganger in Pokémon Legends ZA

In Pokémon Legends ZA, there are moments in the storyline that may leave you scratching your head, trying to piece together the hidden mysteries. One such puzzle revolves around a peculiar NPC and his ghostly companion, Gengar, within the game's apartment setting. Many players remain unaware of the deeper, darker story lurking behind these seemingly innocent interactions. In this article, we'll explore the clues hidden within the game and unravel the truth behind this eerie tale.

The Start of the Mystery

The story begins during Mission 20, where you are tasked with working for the Rust Syndicate to resolve issues around the city. For your first job, the Syndicate leader, Corbow, asks you to teach a lesson to some troublemakers in the Blue District. However, when you arrive, you discover that the so-called troublemakers are actually ghost-type Pokémon that have taken over an apartment recently rented by an NPC. This provides a unique opportunity to capture a Gengar without needing to evolve a Haunter through trade.

After you deal with the ghosts, the apartment is cleared, and the NPC is finally able to move in. But things take a strange turn. Instead of the NPC asking you to deal with Gengar again, he befriends the Pokémon, feeling sorry for invading its home. This marks the beginning of a rather odd relationship between the NPC and the ghost Pokémon, but it is far from the end of the story.

What’s Odd About the Apartment?

Now, if you take a close look at the apartment, you'll notice a few unsettling details. For one, the place looks abandoned, cluttered with moving boxes, and you never quite learn whether these belong to the NPC or the previous tenant. But the most intriguing feature of all is a painting hanging on the wall—a painting of Professor Laventon from Legends Arceus. The presence of this painting hints at a mysterious connection to the professor and potentially sheds light on the backstory of the previous apartment owner. But why is it there? This question lingers as you continue exploring.

The Side Quest: A Strange Turn of Events

The next chapter of the mystery unravels during Mission 39, when a new side quest appears. The NPC reveals that Gengar has disappeared and enlists your help to find him. To assist in the search, you team up with an NPC named Gen, a master of ghost-type Pokémon, who uses her Chandelure to locate other spirits. However, after a lengthy search and multiple ghost encounters, you discover a Gengar that already belongs to someone else.

This sudden dead-end prompts the NPC to abandon the search entirely. Despite Gen's offer to continue, the NPC refuses, and the quest abruptly ends. But if you revisit the apartment later, you’ll find that Gengar has returned, and the two seem to live happily ever after. Or so it seems.

The Deeper, Darker Truth

The deeper truth behind this seemingly simple story reveals a far darker tale of possession and manipulation. As you return to the apartment after completing the main storyline, you may start to notice things that weren’t there before, such as the unusual condition of the apartment and the NPC’s strange behavior. But there’s more to this mystery than just the surface level.

The first clue is found in the NPC’s name. Originally, this character had no name, typical for minor NPCs. However, once the side quest becomes available, the character is revealed as “Ganger,” which is a subtle play on the word “doppelganger”—a term often associated with ghostly phenomena or the eerie idea of a shadowy twin. This connection suggests that Ganger may not simply be a regular NPC after all.

The Connection to Gengar

Gengar, the ghost-type Pokémon that has been with the NPC from the beginning, holds the key to this mystery. As noted in the Legends Arceus Pokédex, Gengar has the ability to possess the shadows of its victims, slowly taking control over them. In this case, it is implied that Gengar has taken control of the NPC, turning him into a mere puppet. This theory becomes more plausible when you consider that the apartment has always felt like a place of shadow and mystery.

One of the most telling signs of this possession is the NPC’s increasing distance from the search for Gengar. When the side quest ends, the camera angle subtly shifts to show the shadow of the bars on the ceiling, resembling a cage—an indication that the NPC’s shadow is now trapped by Gengar.

The Final Reveal: Gengar’s True Intentions

As the quest reaches its end, it becomes clear that the true nature of the NPC’s bond with Gengar is not one of friendship, but of possession. The NPC is no longer in control of his actions. Instead, he is a vessel for Gengar, who has effectively become the "doppelganger" of the original man. The final moments of the side quest, where the Gengar appears behind the NPC, further reinforce this idea that the Pokémon is now in control, with the NPC living as a mere puppet.

In the end, what at first seems like a simple, quirky side story is revealed to be a much darker and more complex tale of possession. The clues were there all along—the strange behavior of the NPC, the eerie painting of Professor Laventon, and the eventual reveal of Ganger’s name—all hinting at a possession that has been slowly creeping up on the NPC. If you missed these details, you’re not alone, as many players simply moved on without realizing the full extent of the mystery.

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