Kapitel 23: Danger in the Gutter
Suddenly, a commotion arose from the street, and Gastly zoomed out with a "whoosh" sound...
At this moment, Cain felt a repressed anger. In his opinion, it was a taboo for a Pokémon to leave without the command of its trainer.
Cain shrugged and completely ignored the salesperson as he walked out.
He saw five or six burly men on the street, shouting at each other and about to fight. Gastly floated around them like a ghost.
Suddenly, all six men seemed unstable, as if they could barely stand, holding onto lampposts for support.
Gastly then floated back to Cain's side, looking full of energy, a stark contrast to its weak and feeble appearance earlier in the afternoon.
Cain connected the mental state of the men and his own weakness after encountering Gastly in the afternoon.
He had the answer in his heart: Gastly's favorite food was life energy.
Whether Gastly was good or bad, Cain couldn't make a definitive judgment. Perhaps the answer still had to come from the next round of Gym battles.
However, one problem was resolved – food. As long as there was life in the wild, there would be life energy, which would save him food expenses.
Back home, Cain focused his attention on Gastly, as it would be participating in the battle tomorrow.
Gastly stared wide-eyed at Cain, the one who had captured it.
Cain originally wanted Ditto to teach Gastly a lesson for not following orders and leaving on its own, but he realized that if it hadn't done so, he wouldn't have known what Gastly's food was.
Considering it a first offense, he gave a warning: "Gastly, you are my Pokémon now. You are not allowed to act on your own without my command. This time you've made a mistake by seeking food on your own. Today is just a warning, but next time it won't be so simple."
Gastly blinked, seemingly half-understanding.
Cain shook his head, thinking that one day it would understand.
"Now let's see what other moves you have besides Curse. Don't hold us back tomorrow."
Hypnosis, Lick, Mean Look.
Cain sighed. As expected, its level was very low. Lick was its only attack move, and it was a physical attack. Gastly, although the initial form of Haunter, had a special attack base stat of 100, but not a single special attack move. Its 35 base physical attack stat couldn't deal much damage.
Almost desperate.
It seemed that Gastly couldn't be relied upon for tomorrow's battle, and Cain would have to rely on himself.
Cain made Gastly practice in the old man's room, having it perform zigzag collision exercises – ramming from one corner of the wall to another, using the rebound force to train its speed. Its considerable speed was the only advantage it had.
Ditto naturally continued to cooperate with Cain in practicing today's "Flying Dagger" from a six-meter distance.
----
On the second day at 9 o'clock, they had gathered at the Ecruteak Gym's dojo for what seemed like the umpteenth time.
Yan looked at the four rising stars in front of him with satisfaction.
"It's not easy for the four of you to get here. To ensure absolute fairness, I've changed the previous rule of drawing lots for battles. Now we'll use a points system. Each of you will have the chance to face one another, ensuring complete fairness and justice. In the end, the top two will advance."
No one objected to this decision.
Aside from Cain and Raikou, the other two contestants had managed to catch a Gastly with the help of Cain. However, those two Gastly had lower levels than Cain's and had no battle experience, which sealed their fate as cannon fodder.
Soon, Cain and Raikou each won two matches, effectively securing their spots as apprentices at the Ecruteak Gym.
Yan considered this to be their first sparring session after joining the Ecruteak Gym and asked them to battle using Ghost-type Pokémon.
Little did Yan know that these two had already started their battle, each harboring their own secret plans.
Gastly vs. Duskull
Gastly, having no special attack skills, was at a complete disadvantage against Duskull, who had outstanding defenses.
Cain observed Raikou and Duskull closely, paying close attention to their every move.
Gastly's speed was far superior to Duskull's, allowing it to plan its moves accordingly. Meanwhile, Raikou, somewhat intimidated by Cain, didn't dare to act rashly.
A sly grin appeared on Cain's face as he figured out Raikou's thoughts. Originally, he was somewhat wary of Duskull, but he thought that with a trainer like Raikou, it was simply Duskull's misfortune.
If you won't make a move, I will.
"Gastly, use Hypnosis."
As Gastly and Duskull locked eyes, Gastly's pupils turned bright red, and hypnotic waves emanated from them. Duskull looked dazed and confused, staring blankly at Gastly and swaying unsteadily.
"Damn, this is so despicable."
Raikou gritted his teeth and tried to think of a countermeasure, as Duskull was about to succumb to the overwhelming drowsiness.
"Astonish! You can use Astonish! Duskull, use Astonish on yourself!"
In a moment of quick thinking, Raikou shouted at Duskull.
At last, not completely losing consciousness, the Duskull let out a screech, waking itself up from drowsiness and breaking Gastly's Hypnosis on its own.
Not bad at all.
Cain snorted, having already given his command.
The still somewhat frightened Duskull was once again struck by Gastly's Lick.
Though Gastly's Lick barely hurt Duskull, there was no choice, as it was the only offensive move available.
Continuously taking hits was not Raikou's style; previously, he had been at a disadvantage due to Cain's authority.
Now, he could only think about striking back, seeking revenge, and regaining lost ground.
"Duskull, use Disable."
Upon hearing this, Cain inwardly cursed, knowing Gastly was in real trouble now. Disable was specifically used to hinder the opponent's moves, rendering the previously used move unusable for a short period.
A purple haze enveloped Gastly, forcing Lick to retract.
Unable to use Hypnosis and Lick, Gastly had become a sitting duck.
"Brilliant." Even Yan, who was watching the battle, praised Raikou's move.
Raikou seemed to have realized that this Gastly was out of tricks and subsequently launched a furious counterattack.
Night Shade, Astonish, and Shadow Sneak
This Duskull was clearly higher in level than Gastly, attacking from various directions with different moves.
Gastly could only dodge now. If it hadn't worked on its speed the previous night, it would have been defeated by Raikou's vengeful assault.
Victory was within reach.
Raikou revealed a long-lost smile, determined to defeat Cain today.
Cain focused intently on the chase, acknowledging Gastly's speed. It was now a test of stamina.
Stamina?
Upon thinking of this, he experienced a sudden burst of insight. He had nearly toppled into the gutter, yet this notion had never occurred to him before.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein