Chapter 26: **Chapter 26: Special Training at the Ecruteak Dojo**
Seeing Ryuki so frightened, his face pale and his heart pounding, Kane and Thunderstorm exchanged a quick glance. They had picked up on something important.
*No employer supports idle workers,* Kane thought to himself. *So naturally, labor is expected, and wages are earned through effort.*
In the afternoon, Chiyama changed into a traditional martial arts robe and led Kane and Thunderstorm to the Bell Tower, the sacred structure known for its spiritual significance and power.
"Do you know the true way to become stronger?" Chiyama, asked as they reached the base of the tower.
"Fighting!" Kane and Thunderstorm responded almost in unison, their voices firm and confident.
Chiyama smiled approvingly and nodded. "Exactly. It's no surprise that the two of you have shown such promise. You're absolutely right—talking about becoming stronger means nothing without real action. The only way to truly grow in strength is through combat—constant, unrelenting battles that etches the experience into your very blood."
As he spoke, the fervor in Chiyama's voice became clear, his passion for Pokémon training boiling over. "Here at the Ecruteak Gym, our special training doesn't involve flashy techniques. No, it's all about battle. Do you see this nine-story Bell Tower? That will be your battlefield."
Thunderstorm raised an eyebrow, his expression turning skeptical. "Here? Against just ghost-type Pokémon?" He couldn't hide the hint of disdain in his voice. After all, his machop had handled the ghost-types at burned Tower with relative ease.
Chiyama chuckled, clearly aware of Thunderstorm's thoughts. "You underestimate the challenge ahead of you. If you think this tower is like Burned Tower, you're going to be in for a rude awakening. Each floor of the Bell Tower is guarded by two powerful Pokémon, leading a team of twenty ghost-type Pokémon. These Pokémon have been raised and trained by different generations of Gym Trainers. They're disciplined, organized, and their strength increases with each floor you ascend. You only have four Pokémon at your disposal, and you'll be facing twenty-two. It won't be easy."
"Four versus twenty-two?" Kane said, raising an eyebrow, his tone both curious and contemplative.
"Exactly," Chiyama confirmed with a smile. "You'll start the challenge at noon every day. If you fail, leave the tower immediately. Don't waste your time inside. Focus on finding where you went wrong and continue your special training until 5 PM. You'll get one attempt each day. As a reward for every floor you clear, I'll give you a TM."
With that, Chiyama urged Kane and Thunderstorm to step inside the Bell Tower.
Kane's team consisted of Ditto and Gastly, while Thunderstorm's team included Machop and Duskull. They entered the tower together, with their four Pokémon following closely behind.
The first floor of the tower was dimly lit and filled with an eerie atmosphere. As they entered, they were immediately greeted by two floating Haunters, each leading a group of twenty Gastly. It seemed they had been waiting for Kane and Thunderstorm to arrive.
"Now that it's confirmed they're ghost-types, we strike first!" Kane called out, his voice cutting through the tense silence as he reminded Thunderstorm to prepare for a preemptive attack.
"Got it! Machop, use Foresight!" Thunderstorm commanded, his Machop focusing intently as it readied the move to counter the ghost-type advantage.
The two Haunters began laughing—a low, mocking sound that echoed through the room. It was as if they found Thunderstorm's confidence amusing.
Suddenly, four Shadow Punches shot towards Machop like bullets.
"Ditto, cover!" Kane ordered swiftly. Ditto, still in its normal form and not yet transformed into a ghost-type, was immune to ghost-type moves, making it the perfect shield. It leapt off Kane's shoulder and blocked two of the Shadow Punches with ease.
"Gastly use Lick!" Kane ordered.
"Duskull use Shadow Sneak!" Thunderstorm added.
But the remaining two Shadow Punches were still heading their way, forcing Kane's Gastly and Thunderstorm's Night Watchman to intervene. The Pokémon reacted quickly—Gastly's long tongue shot out, while the Duskull's shadow extended sharply to intercept the attacks.
However, the level difference between their Pokémon and the enemy's was clear. The Haunters and Gastly were far stronger than expected. The Shadow Punches dispersed the Night Watchman's shadow and shattered Gastly's tongue in an instant.
Before Kane or Thunderstorm could react, the two Shadow Punches hit Wrist Strength, knocking it to the ground.
Now surrounded by twenty Gastly and two Haunters, Kane and Thunderstorm found themselves in a dire situation.
"Keep fighting! Gastly, use Lick! Ditto, transform into Haunter!" Kane commanded, trying to regain control of the battle.
Without Foresight, Machop's abilities were rendered nearly useless. Its combat techniques had no effect on the ghost-types.
"Duskull, use Foresight!" Thunderstorm called out, realizing their only chance was to counter the ghost-types' immunities.
*Thank goodness*, Kane thought to himself. Duskull, was capable of using Foresight—a crucial ability in this battle.
But as Chiyama had warned, these Pokémon were well-trained. Kane could sense that they hadn't even used their full strength yet. At times, it seemed as if the Haunters were deliberately slowing down, waiting for Kane and Thunderstorm to make their moves.
Even so, the situation remained grim. Kane's Gastly spun its body, tongue flicking out as it tried to create an opening. Thunderstorm's Duskull's eyes glinted, preparing to exploit any chance for an advantage.
Suddenly, a thick, oppressive mist began to spread across the battlefield. It was dense and murky, like a dark fog enveloping everything in its path.
Gastly's Lick and Night Watchman's Foresight were rendered useless as they disappeared into the mist. Their attacks were swallowed up without a trace, vanishing as though they had never existed.
Meanwhile, Ditto had successfully transformed into a Haunter and was now firing Shadow Balls into the fog, but they too were absorbed by the darkness.
"This isn't possible! How can we fight this illusion?" Thunderstorm muttered in frustration, growing increasingly impatient.
"It's not an illusion," Kane replied calmly.
"Not an illusion? Then what is it?" Thunderstorm asked, bewildered.
"Night Shade." Kane's voice was tense as he recognized the move. The Haunters were using Night Shade to distort the battlefield. It was an ordinary ghost-type move, but under the control of these well-trained Pokémon, it had become something far more powerful—something capable of turning the tide of battle.
The dark mist continued to shrink, slowly closing in on Kane, Thunderstorm, and their four Pokémon.
Their own strength wasn't enough to stop the ghostly onslaught. All their moves were being blocked or absorbed. They had no chance to push back.
Finally, the fog consumed them, covering Kane, Thunderstorm, and their Pokémon. In that moment, all four Pokémon collapsed, their strength completely drained by the overwhelming power of the Night Shade.
However, Kane and Thunderstorm were left unharmed—the Gym's challenge rules ensured that trainers wouldn't be physically targeted.
Kane sighed as he recalled Ditto and Gastly into their Poké Balls. Their first attempt had ended in failure.
"We're leaving already?" Thunderstorm asked, still in shock from how quickly they had been overwhelmed.
Kane didn't respond at first, but the look in his eyes made it clear—this was only the beginning.
When they exited the tower, Chiyama was already waiting for them.
"How was it? What did you think?" Chiyama asked.
Kane answered simply. "They were strong."
"Too strong," Thunderstorm added, shaking his head.
Chiyama smiled. "It's impressive that the two of you managed to hold out for as long as you did. Now, focus on identifying your weaknesses and work on them in your special training. You can challenge the tower once every day. Keep improving."
With that, Chiyama waved and walked away, leaving Kane and Thunderstorm to contemplate their next steps.
Thunderstorm looked at Kane and asked, "What do we do now? Should we just follow what Chiyama said?"
Kane narrowed his eyes. "Improving our strength is never a bad thing."
He released Ditto and Gastly from their Poké Balls. "We've experienced defeat, but this won't be the last time we face despair like this," Kane said firmly.
Both Ditto and Gastly nodded in understanding.
"In the future, there will be even greater challenges. The only way to overcome them is to grow stronger. Gastly, I want you to head to Burned Tower for special training. The ghost type pokemon there are weaker, and you'll be able to learn from them and refine your abilities and try to learn night shade while you're at it."
Gastly was still relatively undeveloped. It needed to accumulate more battle experience and learn more practical moves if it was going to be a reliable part of Kane's team.
"Ditto," Kane continued, "now that you've managed to transform into Haunter, your priority is speed. You need to be fast enough to keep the Haunters in check while we deal with the other Gastly. I have a specific training method in mind."
As Kane began walking towards the Burned Tower, Ditto—now in its Haunter form—floated in the air following Kain closely. " What about me?" Thunderstorm asked as he caught up " Your task is to use foresight and train however you like " Kain said as he waved his hand dismissively, as not everyone could witness his unique Pokémon training methods.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Sfisodeck
Sfisodeck Ditto is a normal type pokemon its immune to Ghost-type attacks. Ghost-type moves do not affect Normal-type Pokémon, and Ghost-type Pokémon are completely immune to both Fighting- and Normal-type attacks.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone