Chapter 36: A Ghost Grows in My Home
Chapter 36: A Ghost Grows in My Home
"Kya kya—"
So bitter, so bitter!
While muttering under its breath, Gastly conjured two orbs of ghostly blue flame and launched them at a nearby rock from two tricky angles.
The flames exploded on contact with the hard rock, scattering into tiny blue sparks that flickered out before they hit the ground.
The rock now had a noticeable dent, and the area around it was blackened.
For a moment, it was unclear whether Gastly was bitter or spiced up by the "Ghost Fire," but its mastery of the move certainly improved.
Jing He had long noticed that his Gastly learned things quickly and grew rapidly. It could be due to exceptional talent, or perhaps because it had slumbered for nearly a thousand years, unleashing its accumulated potential.
In the Pokedex Jing He could access, Gastly's condition was marked as "Excellent."
A good condition is a crucial factor in a Pokemon's growth.
For some reason, Jing He always felt that Gastly was treating the rock as a vent for its frustration, which made him instinctively take a couple of steps back.
"Kya!"
Gastly gritted its teeth and formed a ghostly blue flame about the size of its head, slamming it heavily into the rock.
Bang!!
Sparks flew everywhere.
This use of "Ghost Fire" clearly deviated from the original plan Jing He and Gastly had for the move.
However, he chose to turn a blind eye.
Gastly needed to vent sometimes, especially after being forced to eat something it hated, like that bitter taste. Jing He hadn't expected it to hold out, thinking he might need to comfort it.
'Growing up, huh?'
Jing He felt a sense of pride, as if a ghost in his home was finally coming of age.
But this time, the "Ghost Fire" was too large, and the explosion scattered flames in all directions, some landing on the surrounding grass.
"Gastly!"
Jing He couldn't ignore this.
If it caused a forest fire, a chat with Officer Jenny would be the least of his worries.
"Kya!"
Fortunately, Gastly knew its limits and quickly extinguished the more dangerous flames.
Just as it was about to put out a small, seemingly harmless fire, Jing He suddenly shouted:
"Be careful!"
Hmm?
Though it didn't know why, Gastly trusted Jing He and quickly retreated.
"Chaa!"
A black shadow darted out from the grass!
It was a massive, sinister serpent with black, shiny scales, some areas embedded with golden armor, and several vicious scars. Its fangs were blood-red and razor-sharp, and its tail was like a blade.
A Poison-type Pokemon, Arbok, or rather, Seviper!
However, Seviper's condition wasn't good.
The "Ghost Fire" Gastly had scattered in its fit of anger had landed on it, blackening its head and causing it to enter a "Burned" status.
Jing He had noticed it because Seviper's attack allowed him to see its Pokedex entry.
Seviper
Type: Poison
Ability: Shed Skin
Known Moves: Bind, Leer, Bite, Lick, Poison Tail, Feint Attack, Screech, Glare, Venoshock
Mood: Angry, Embarrassed (It was trying to ambush its prey)
Condition: Good, Burned (Continual damage from "Ghost Fire")
Affinity: -50 (You are already its target)
It turned out that the commotion from Gastly's training had attracted Seviper, which had been lurking, waiting for the right moment to strike. Unfortunately, it had been accidentally hit by Gastly's "Ghost Fire."
"Chaa!"
Seviper's eyes were red, and it stared intently at Jing He, its body taut like a drawn bowstring.
Clearly, Gastly wasn't on its menu.
"Kya!"
Noticing Seviper's target, Gastly's eyes turned hostile.
Suddenly,
Whoosh—
Seviper lunged at Jing He, its body like an arrow, moving incredibly fast!
"Gastly, Confuse Ray!"
Jing He remained calm, not retreating, and gave the command.
In Jing He's view, the Arbok's intense focus on him was actually a good thing, allowing Gastly to perform better.
"Kya!"
Gastly let out a sinister laugh, and a small ball of strange, glowing light appeared in front of it. The ball quickly shot towards the Arbok.
The light appeared to move slowly and unpredictably, but in reality, it was quite fast. However, this Arbok seemed to be an experienced hunter. Sensing the threat from Gastly, it suddenly halted, causing the "Confusion" attack to miss its mark.
At this moment, the Arbok also reacted. It realized that if it didn't deal with Gastly, it might not be able to catch its prey.
So, it coiled its body again, its skin glowing red as it glared menacingly at Gastly, ready to attack at any moment.
It was all a bluff!
"Gastly, burrow underground."
Before the Arbok could lock onto Gastly's position, Gastly let out a sinister laugh and disappeared into the ground.
This left the Arbok, who rarely encountered Ghost-type Pokemon, somewhat bewildered.
Suddenly,
"Kya—"
Gastly's voice came from behind it.
It whipped its head around, its sharp, crimson teeth glowing with a noxious purple light—Toxic Fang!
However, what it saw was a face that had swollen several times in size, with an extremely sinister and fearful expression.
Fear!
Overwhelming fear filled its heart, causing the Arbok to freeze in place.
Then, it seemed to see swirling patterns in those eyes, and its eyelids began to droop. Its body slowly went limp.
Hypnosis!
But this time, the "Hypnosis" Gastly used was different from the one it had used on Asha's Drowzee. This was a refined version, guided by Jing He.
"It fears Weavile," Jing He reminded.
Arbok and Weavile are natural enemies.
"Kya!"
Gastly understood.
It had seen Weavile before.
So,
In its dazed state, the Arbok vaguely saw a Weavile charging at it, and it instinctively tried to fight back.
But before it could move,
It realized that it wasn't just one Weavile.
Hundreds of Weavile, like a tidal wave, were surging towards it.
"Chaa, chaa!!"
Thud!
The Arbok collapsed heavily on the ground, its body convulsing. White foam dripped from its mouth.
Its skin glowed faintly with a white light, and the burn marks were healed by its "Shed Skin" ability. However, it did not wake up from its sleep.
Because it wasn't just affected by a simple "Hypnosis"; it also suffered significant psychological trauma.
In such a situation, if it had a strong will or no natural enemies, it might have been better off. But with a known weakness and natural enemy, it was in deep trouble.
Seeing the Arbok lose its fighting ability, Jing He glanced around.
'Encountering a wild Pokemon, a bit far from the town, huh?'
"It's time to head back. Let's go, Gastly."
He turned and walked towards Sootopolis Town.
"Kya—"
Gastly, now back to its normal size, hurriedly followed.
Surprisingly, after the commotion with the Arbok, the little guy's original "resentment" had dissipated, and his mood improved significantly.
"Kya?"
Aren't we going to do anything about it?
Gastly couldn't help but ask.
"It'll probably hide for three to four months before it dares to come out again. Consider it a lesson," Jing He said with a smile.
Seeing so many Weavile at once, it might even see them in its dreams.
"Kya kya~~"
Gastly also laughed wickedly.
It looked back at the convulsing Arbok on the ground, its eyes narrowing in a "dangerous" way.
Licking its lips,
Daring to see Jing He as food, it wasn't that easy!
About half an hour later, the Arbok lying on the ground slowly regained consciousness. Its body was still convulsing, and it suddenly opened its eyes wide, breathing a sigh of relief when it saw no Weavile around.
But the next second,
"Chaa!!!"
The Arbok's piercing cry echoed through the area.
Where are my teeth?!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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