Chapter 66: Gastly's Hunting Moment!
Chapter 66: Gastly's Hunting Moment!
"Do you want that set of attribute gems?"
Seeing Gastly's eagerness, Jing He asked with a smile.
"Gra~~"
Gastly scratched its head, its armor clattering with the movement.
The attribute gems were secondary; it simply wanted to battle and test its strength after evolving.
Alright.
Gastly had learned to be clever, making it hard even for Jing He to discern its true intentions.
Or perhaps, it wanted both.
However, Jing He was also curious about Gastly's capabilities.
Gastly was rumored to be a dimensional being, capable of slipping into other dimensions. Some trainers often had their Gastlys hide in their shadows as a precaution.
Champion Kusue was a master at this, and it was said that even her closest friends had no idea how many Ghost-type Pokemon were hidden in her shadow.
In this Pokemon world, trainers must always protect themselves when traveling.
Otherwise, they might encounter opponents who engage in indiscriminate battles or those skilled in ambushes and assassinations. Even the Elite Four could be caught off guard.
In Jing He's memory, the most typical example was Akane from the Special Edition. He was terrible in regular battles but terrifying in indiscriminate fights, his quick-dry techniques sending shivers down spines.
Then there were Champion Kusue and Champion Shigeru.
Of course, Shigeru was the negative example.
Now that Gastly had evolved into Haunter, it was like an added layer of insurance for Jing He.
"Want to give it a try?"
"Gra!!"
Haunter stuck out its tongue and spun around, cackling eerily.
Hunting moment!
Daigo's eyes lit up at the suggestion.
He usually had little interest in the battles at the school festival.
But if Jing He was participating, he was definitely intrigued.
What surprised Daigo, however, was that Jing He didn't head to the 1v1 or 2v2 battle zones.
Instead, he walked straight to the less crowded "Tower Climb" area.
The Tower Climb area, as the name suggests, required challengers to climb the tower by defeating one opponent after another without rest or using any recovery items. The more opponents they defeated, the higher they climbed.
At each stage, they could earn the corresponding prize.
More importantly, the opponents in each round were progressively stronger.
It was a project that thoroughly tested a trainer's tactics and their Pokemon's abilities.
Additionally, since it was a school-organized event, the Pokemon sent to challenge the participants were matched to their strength, ensuring that the early rounds weren't too easy.
"Gra?"
Haunter looked at the relatively quiet arena, puzzled, and glanced at Jing He.
Here?
Jing He, holding Ice Sixtail, explained simply:
"Should a teacher go and battle students? Others might think we're just here for the Little Cup. Besides, some of those 'babies' are giants."
Daigo: "??"
Why did it feel like Jing He was calling him out?
"Gra~~"
Haunter, who had a good rapport with Jing He, nodded in understanding.
In short:
Daigo is after us, let's lay low for a bit.
Before the challenge, Jing He needed to confirm the changes in Haunter's moves after evolving.
At his signal, Haunter's eyes glowed faintly.
Meanwhile, Jing He's vision displayed the updated Haunter entry in his Pokedex.
The major changes weren't immediately apparent.
However, after evolving, Haunter had learned a new move: "Shadow Punch."
It was well-known that Haunter excelled in special attacks, while "Shadow Punch" was a physical move, so it could be mostly ignored.
Of course, the changes brought by evolution weren't limited to this, but the rest would need to be verified through training and real battles.
"Teacher Jing He, here for the Tower Climb?"
Noticing Jing He and Daigo, Xingya, the bored and sunflower-seed-cracking counselor of the first-year, second-class Battle Department, perked up with interest.
She had previously worked at the Battle Factory in Hoenn, giving her a solid understanding and insight into various Pokemon, making her the perfect fit for the Tower Climb area.
The two weren't particularly close, but as fellow teachers, they had a better relationship than just nodding greetings.
"Teacher Xingya."
Jing He smiled and nodded, offering a brief greeting.
"I won't go easy on you."
"Xingya reminded him.
"Of course," Jing He agreed. "I just wanted to test Gastly's strength after its recent evolution."
Xingya's eyes widened in realization.
She then pressed a button on the wall beside her.
Bang!
A huge "0" appeared on the screen hanging on the wall in the "Tower Climbing Area."
This commotion drew the attention of a few people.
Initially, they weren't too interested, but when they saw that the challenger was Jing He, their curiosity was piqued.
At the same time, Xingya held a Poke Ball in her hand.
"Since it just evolved, let's start with this one—Beedrill!"
A red light flashed, and the Bug- and Poison-type Pokemon, Beedrill, appeared in the arena, holding a pair of sharp, long stingers.
"Gastly."
Jing He remained calm and called out softly.
Gastly had a significant advantage in type matchups.
"Kya!!"
Gastly, having removed its knight armor and placed it aside, grinned widely, its eyes brimming with excitement.
Here it comes, my moment to shine!
Gastly: u (`)<,︻╦╤─——
Full speed ahead!
"Beedrill, use Agility!" Xingya commanded, waving her hand.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
Beedrill's wings vibrated rapidly, and its body flashed around the battlefield, appearing almost everywhere at once.
But Jing He didn't give any commands, and Gastly didn't move. Instead, it kept its eyes moving, trying to lock onto Beedrill's position.
Meanwhile, in Jing He's vision, Beedrill's Pokedex entry appeared.
The Dark-type move was "Retaliate."
There were several Bug- and Poison-type moves.
But as a Poison-type Pokemon, Gastly didn't have to worry too much about Poison-type moves, and Bug-type moves were even less of a concern, thanks to its four-times resistance.
Xingya frowned at this.
Gastly's inaction was making things difficult for her.
"Beedrill, Focus Energy!"
"Use Hypnosis!"
As Xingya's voice rang out and Beedrill stopped to gather energy, Jing He's voice cut in perfectly.
"Kya!"
Gastly shouted, catching Beedrill's attention for a split second.
That split second was enough for Gastly.
Beedrill's sharp gaze gradually turned confused and then drowsy.
"Gastly, use Double-Edge."
Gastly's eyes turned a deep red, and the bloodshot eyes reflected in Beedrill's mind.
Bang!
A strange, muffled sound came from inside Beedrill's body as it slowly fell to the ground, unable to continue the battle!
"Kya! (｀д′)"
Next!
Bang!
The number on the screen changed from "0" to "1."
Xingya recalled Beedrill and glanced at Gastly and Jing He.
It took just one "Hypnosis" and one "Double-Edge" to take down Beedrill.
While Beedrill was a relatively frail Pokemon, this still demonstrated Gastly's considerable strength.
"Since that's the case, the second one will be this—Krabby!"
A crab with massive pincers appeared in the arena.
"Krabby, use Bubble Beam!"
A Krabby with the "Mold Breaker" ability?
The academy really has all kinds of Pokemon.
This time, Jing He's strategy was different. As Xingya gave her command to Krabby, he already had his own instructions ready.
"Gastly, hide in the shadows."
By the time Krabby released its bubbles, Gastly was already behind it!
A close-range "Smog" attack left Krabby no chance to dodge, and it inhaled a large amount of the toxic gas.
A poisonous glow appeared on its body.
"Double-Edge."
Once again, the same move finished the battle.
It wasn't that Jing He didn't want to use other moves; it was just that with Gastly's mastery of the five negative status effects—poison, paralysis, confusion, sleep, and flinch—there was no better move than "Double-Edge."
"Kya!"
Gastly stood on the unconscious Krabby, grinning and sticking out its tongue.
Do you understand the power of a surprise attack from behind?
Bang!!
The number on the screen changed from "1" to "2."
The consecutive actions drew more attention once again.
"Kya!"
I'm ready to take on ten more!
(End of Chapter)
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