Chapter 35: Challenging Gastly

After recalling all the Pokémon except for Kirlia, Xia You gently woke Misty and Ash.

Ash stretched widely, clearly having slept quite well. "Is it dawn already?"

Misty also rubbed her eyes, speaking drowsily, "I think I just had a dream... I dreamed we were being attacked by a ghost."

Xia You gave a bitter smile. "That wasn't a dream, it was real. And Brock has disappeared too."

"What!?" Misty and Ash were shocked, instantly snapping awake. "Was he taken away?"

Recalling the relevant plot from the anime, Xia You nodded. "However, I don't think his life is in any real danger, but regardless, we should find him as soon as possible."

The group looked toward the wooden cabin in front of them and entered cautiously, only to find it empty. There was nothing inside but a damp, decaying smell of mold, making it unclear how many years the building had stood.

As they stepped on the floorboards, a series of eerie creaks echoed. Misty's head popped out from behind Xia You, scanning the surroundings with fear.

"Huh? Brock isn't here?"

Xia You thought seriously for a moment and said to the two, "Come on, let's head back to Maiden Shrine!"

By the time the group re-entered Maiden Town, it was already midnight.

The night sky was dotted with stars, and the day's clamor had ceased. The entire town was exceptionally quiet. The cold air pierced through their clothes, making them shiver involuntarily.

The people who had participated in the festival had long since dispersed, leaving only trash scattered everywhere to be cleaned up at dawn.

They arrived at Maiden Shrine and opened the door, only to find Brock lying on the floor in a state of unconsciousness.

Aside from him, there was still no sign of Gastly.

In truth, Xia You understood that given Gastly's eerie movements, it would be extremely difficult to truly track it down.

"Brock, wake up!"

Ash shook Brock forcefully. After shaking him for a long time, Brock finally drifted back to consciousness weakly, though even then, he was still muttering under his breath, "I really want to see her..."

Xia You hurriedly knelt down to check his condition.

"Dark circles under his eyes, disheveled clothes, listless spirit, and he looks noticeably thinner than before. It seems too much physical strength and essence were drained!"

Compared to a simple kid like Ash, Misty, being a girl, was more mature in temperament. Although she didn't understand the specifics of such matters, she understood somewhat.

Her face flushed red as she asked, "Was it Gastly's doing?"

"No." Xia You shook his head. "I think his energy was drained by a real ghost, and Gastly was merely her accomplice."

"A real ghost?" Misty asked in surprise. "Are you saying that woman actually exists?"

Xia You confirmed, "Of course. Otherwise, Gastly wouldn't have been able to bring Brock to a place like this."

Misty asked again, "Then why would she do that?"

Xia You thought for a moment and speculated, "After all, she has existed for two thousand years. Even a ghost needs energy to maintain its existence. That's why she absorbs the energy of men during the summer festival every year."

Seeing that Misty wanted to ask more, Xia You quickly said, "Alright, don't ask anymore. Let's hurry and get Brock back to the Pokémon Center."

***

At the Pokémon Center.

After Nurse Joy's diagnosis confirmed that Brock was simply suffering from overexhaustion, everyone finally felt relieved.

However, regarding what had actually happened, no matter how much they asked, Brock only looked bewildered, as if he had no memory at all of what happened after being taken by Gastly.

After placing him on a bed in the dormitory and entrusting Ash to take good care of him, Xia You left the Pokémon Center alone.

Even though that Gastly was very troublesome, Xia You had made up his mind to catch it.

As a wild Gastly that had lived for an unknown number of years, its skills were naturally formidable. Most importantly, just like Team Rocket's Meowth, it could also speak human language!

Based on this alone, if he could catch it, communicating with his Pokémon in the future would be much more convenient; he would no longer have to rely solely on intuition and guesswork to communicate with them.

But where would Gastly be now?

It was two in the morning, and the night was at its deepest.

Xia You looked around, and finally decided to rely on his intuition and head to Maiden Rock by the seaside cliff to try his luck.

Following the mountain path away from the town, he soon reached his destination. But just like before, there was nothing here except the waves and the salty sea breeze in the air.

"Gastly, are you here!?"

Xia You shouted loudly, but though his voice carried far, there was no response.

"Is it really not here?" Walking up to Maiden Rock, Xia You muttered to himself, "In that case, it wouldn't matter if I destroyed this rock right now, would it?"

"Hey, hey!" A voice suddenly came from behind him. "I can't pretend I didn't hear that!"

With a smile on his face, Xia You turned around to see Gastly.

"Gastly, let's have our final battle!"

"Oh?" Gastly said seriously. "Do you want to catch me?"

Xia You took a Poké Ball from his waist and enlarged it in his hand. "Of course. I am aiming for the Quartz Conference and looking for partners, and your abilities will definitely become a powerful boost to me!"

As he spoke, Xia You threw the Poké Ball. After a flash of red light, what appeared in front of Gastly was actually an Espeon with its fur standing on end!

"What? It's Espeon!" Gastly's tone was somewhat surprised, but more than anything, it sounded relieved.

Xia You asked, "Why? Are you surprised to see Espeon?"

Gastly said, "I thought you would release that Zapdos to deal with me. To be honest, if you were really going to face a Legendary Pokémon like that, even I wouldn't have much of a chance."

Xia You chuckled.

*You think I don't want to?*

*But would I tell you that I can't even command it yet!?*

"Don't worry, even if Espeon fails, I won't use Zapdos against you!" Xia You crossed his arms, acting nonchalant. "Alright, enough small talk, let's begin the battle! Espeon, use Thunder Shock!"

Faint currents of electricity flickered across Espeon's body, then converged into a bolt of lightning that flew toward Gastly.

Seeing Espeon launch an attack, a black energy ball suddenly condensed around Gastly, colliding with the bolt of lightning.

It was the Ghost-type move, Shadow Ball!

However, the power of the Thunder Shock was clearly inferior to the Shadow Ball. The Shadow Ball pierced through the electricity and continued flying toward Espeon.

Xia You shouted, "Espeon, dodge quickly! Then use Pin Missile!"

With its extreme speed, Espeon easily dodged the Shadow Ball. It leaped to the side, and its fur became like steel needles, shooting toward Gastly wave after wave!

(End of Chapter)