Bab 23: Chapter 23: The Gutter Narrowly Capsizes
Gastly gave up all the Pokémon food, and upon seeing this, Kane felt that it wasn't necessary for him to worry about it either. If Gastly didn't want the food, then so be it. He could give it up without any second thoughts.
Suddenly, there was a commotion on the street outside, and in the blink of an eye, Gastly swooped out of the building, darting towards the source of the disturbance.
At that moment, Kane's frustration bubbled to the surface. He felt an immediate surge of anger. It was a serious offense for a Pokémon to act without the explicit instructions of its trainer. For Kane, this was a strict rule, an unspoken law he set upon his Pokémon. His Pokémon were expected to obey his commands and never leave his side unless he told them to. What Gastly had just done—leaving without permission—was a direct violation of that rule, and it grated on his nerves.
But then Kane took a deep breath and relaxed his clenched fists. "He's new forgive him," he thought to himself, calming down slightly. "
Kane felt a wave of relief wash over him as he turned away from the salesperson, completely ignoring the stunned expression on his face, and walked outside following in the direction Gastly had gone.
Out on the street, Kane saw five or six strong, burly men who were all shouting at each other, their voices growing louder as they hurled insults back and forth. The tension was rising rapidly, and it looked like a brawl was moments away from breaking out. Just as Kane arrived, Gastly had already arrived on the scene, moving stealthily through the air, weaving in and out, avoiding any interaction with the men.
Then, all of a sudden, something strange happened. The six men, who had been so full of energy moments ago, all began to stagger, their knees wobbling as though their strength had been drained. It was as if they couldn't even stand upright anymore. Each of them desperately grabbed onto nearby streetlamps, barely managing to stay on their feet, as though they were fighting an invisible force that had sapped them of their energy.
At that moment, Gastly floated back over to Kane's side. The ghostly Pokémon seemed completely rejuvenated, brimming with energy, a far cry from the weak and powerless creature Kane had seen just earlier in the afternoon. It was as if Gastly had fed on something that revitalized it entirely.
As Kane observed the condition of the men and thought back to his own feeling of weakness after encountering Gastly earlier in the day, the pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into place. The answer became clear in his mind: this Gastly's favorite food wasn't traditional Pokémon food. It fed on something else, something more sinister—it fed on life energy.
Kane stood still, processing the revelation. Was this discovery a good thing or a bad thing? He wasn't sure yet. It was hard to say whether having a Gastly that consumed life energy would prove to be beneficial or dangerous. One thing was clear, though—this was no ordinary Gastly, and dealing with it would require a new approach. Perhaps, Kane thought, he would find the answers he needed at the Ecruteak Gym. There, with proper guidance, he might be able to learn more about this peculiar Pokémon.
However, one concern was already alleviated: food. From now on, as long as there was life around him, Gastly would have a steady source of sustenance. This meant that, even if Kane ventured into the wild, he wouldn't have to worry about carrying extra Pokémon food for Gastly. The life energy of Pokémon they would encounter would suffice, which would, in turn, save him a lot of money on food expenses. That was at least one silver lining.
Later that evening, back at his home, Kane shifted his focus to Gastly. Tomorrow was an important day, and Gastly would need to be in top form for the upcoming battles. Gastly stared back at Kane with wide, unblinking eyes, seemingly curious about what Kane would do next.
Initially, Kane's impulse had been to have Ditto teach Gastly a lesson. After all, Gastly had disobeyed him earlier by leaving without permission. But as Kane thought more about it, he realized that if Gastly hadn't acted on its own, he wouldn't have made the crucial discovery about its feeding habits. Perhaps, just this once, it was worth letting Gastly off the hook. He could consider this a first offense and give Gastly a warning.
"Listen, Gastly," Kane began, his tone firm but not angry. "You're my Pokémon now, which means you're not allowed to act without my orders. What you did today—going out on your own to feed—was a mistake. I'm letting you off with a warning this time, but next time, it won't be so simple." He paused to let the words sink in.
Gastly blinked a few times, as if it didn't entirely understand the gravity of Kane's words.
Kane sighed and shook his head. "One day, you'll understand," he said softly, as though he were speaking more to himself than to Gastly. He knew that training Gastly would take time, but eventually, it would learn.
"Now," Kane continued, "let's see what moves you have besides Curse. I don't want you holding us back tomorrow." He needed to know exactly what Gastly was capable of so he could plan accordingly.
Gastly demonstrated its moves: Hypnosis, Lick, and Mean Look.
Kane sighed heavily, his disappointment palpable. As he suspected, this gastly's level was quite low. The only attacking move it had was Lick, and that was a physical move. Given Gastly's naturally low physical attack stats, Lick was practically useless. Gastly's true strength lay in its special attack capabilities, but it didn't know any special attack moves yet. Its special attack stat was 100, but its physical attack stat was a mere 35, making Lick an ineffective move in battle.
The situation seemed bleak.
Kane could already tell that Gastly wouldn't be much help in tomorrow's battles. If anything, it would be more of a burden. He couldn't rely on it to win, which meant the burden of victory would fall squarely on Ditto's shoulders.
Still, Kane didn't want to leave Gastly completely unprepared. He brought the ghost-type Pokémon into the old man's room, where he had it practice a zig-zag movement pattern, bouncing from one corner of the room to another. The idea was to use the walls to rebound and increase its speed, since speed seemed to be Gastly's only real asset at this point.
Meanwhile, Ditto continued working alongside Kane, practicing its "Flying Sword Throw" from a distance of six meters as they had done the previous day. This training had become a routine for them.
---
The next day arrived, and at precisely nine o'clock in the morning, Kane found himself standing in the familiar dojo of the Ecruteak Gym. This wasn't his first time here, but the atmosphere today felt different. The stakes were higher now.
Chiyama, the leader of the gym, stood before Kane and the other three rising trainers. His expression was one of satisfaction. He seemed pleased with the group that had made it this far.
"It's no small feat that the four of you have made it to this stage," Chiyama began, his voice filled with pride. "In order to ensure absolute fairness, I've decided to change the format for today's battles. Instead of the usual elimination-style format, we'll be using a point system. Each of you will face every other competitor in a battle, and your performance will be ranked by points. The top two trainers at the end will advance." He paused for a moment, allowing the gravity of his words to sink in. "This way, everything will be completely fair and just."
None of the trainers voiced any objections. The new format seemed perfectly reasonable to everyone.
Aside from Kane and Thunderstorm, the other two competitors didn't stand much of a chance. Kane had helped them capture their Gastly, but their Pokémon were even weaker than his. Moreover, they lacked any real battle experience, so their chances of winning were close to zero. In reality, they were nothing more than cannon fodder.
As expected, both Kane and Thunderstorm easily won their first two matches. With those victories, it was essentially confirmed that the two of them would advance as trainees at the Ecruteak Gym.
However, there was still one final battle to be fought—between Kane and Thunderstorm. Chiyama, eager to see how the two strongest trainers would fare against each other, instructed them to battle using their Ghost-type Pokémon.
What Chiyama didn't know was that the rivalry between Kane and Thunderstorm had already begun long before this moment.
The battle was set: Gastly versus Duskull.
The odds seemed stacked against Kane from the start. Gastly, without any decent special attack moves, was at a severe disadvantage. Duskull, on the other hand, had impressive defense, making it a formidable opponent.
Kane watched the battle closely, his eyes glued to Thunderstorm and his Duskull. He could tell that Thunderstorm was nervous about facing him. The other trainer was hesitant, clearly afraid of making the first move and acting rashly.
---
Kane smirked. He could see right through Thunderstorm's fear. Initially, Kane had been worried about Duskull's defense, but now he realized that Thunderstorm's lack of confidence was something he could exploit. If Thunderstorm was too scared to make the first move, then Kane would gladly take the opportunity to seize control of the battle.
If Thunderstorm wasn't going to make the first move, then Kane certainly would.
"Gastly, use Hypnosis!" Kane commanded, his voice sharp and clear.
Gastly locked eyes with Duskull, its pupils glowing a deep, blood-red hue. The hypnotic waves began to emanate from Gastly, spreading through the air and wrapping themselves around Duskull. The Night Watch Pokémon stared at Gastly, its eyes wide and vacant. Slowly, Duskull's body began to sway from side to side, as if it were being lulled into a deep sleep.
"Damn it, that's low," Thunderstorm muttered under his breath, visibly panicking as he watched his Duskull begin to succumb to the drowsiness. His mind raced, trying to figure out a way to save his Pokémon from falling into full-blown slumber.
The pressure was mounting, and Thunderstorm's mind was clouded by frustration. But just as the weight of defeat was about to crush him, an idea flashed through his mind. "Wait! Duskull, attack yourself! Use Astonish on yourself!" Thunderstorm shouted; his voice tinged with desperation.
Duskull snapped out of its trance just in time. With a sudden, jarring movement, it emitted a loud, eerie wail, startling itself out of the hypnotic state. It worked! Duskull shook off the drowsiness and was now back in the fight.
Kane smirked. "Not bad," he thought to himself, slightly impressed by Thunderstorm's quick thinking. "But not enough."
Without wasting any time, Kane gave his next order. "Gastly, keep up the pressure! Use Lick!"
Gastly darted toward Duskull, its long, ghostly tongue lashing out to make contact. Duskull winced, but despite the hit, the damage was minimal. The move, Lick, wasn't nearly strong enough to break through Duskull's solid defenses, and Kane knew it. But it was the only offensive move Gastly had in its arsenal, so for now, it was the best option.
Thunderstorm, on the other hand, wasn't willing to sit back and be a punching bag any longer. He was done letting Kane take the lead. His anger from their earlier encounters had finally boiled over, and he was ready to fight back. His eyes narrowed as he shouted, "Duskull, use Disable! Stop that Lick attack!"
Kane's stomach dropped the moment he heard Thunderstorm's command. "This isn't good," Kane thought to himself, knowing full well that Disable would render Gastly's only attack move completely useless. A purple-red mist enveloped Gastly, and just as Kane feared, Lick was now sealed away. Gastly would no longer be able to use the move for a while.
"Damn it," Kane muttered under his breath. Now, Gastly had no way to attack. All that was left were Hypnosis and Mean Look, both of which were far from ideal in this situation. Gastly was completely vulnerable now, and there was nothing it could do to fight back.
"Brilliant move!" Chiyama, who had been silently observing the battle from the sidelines, couldn't help but express his admiration for Thunderstorm's quick thinking. Even he was impressed by how well Thunderstorm had handled the situation.
Meanwhile, Thunderstorm's confidence was starting to grow. He could sense that victory was close. With Gastly's Lick disabled, Thunderstorm was ready to launch a full-blown counterattack. His grin widened as he issued his next set of commands.
"Duskull, let's finish this! Use Night Shade, Frighten, and Shadow Sneak in quick succession!"
Duskull sprang into action, its level clearly superior to Gastly's. Waves of dark energy shot toward Gastly, with Night Shade dealing solid damage. Frighten followed up, rattling Gastly's nerves, and Shadow Sneak came from the shadows themselves, striking Gastly with an eerie precision.
Kane watched in frustration as Gastly struggled to keep up. Gastly was fast, but speed alone wouldn't save it from the onslaught of attacks. If it weren't for the speed training from the night before, Gastly would have been knocked out long ago. But even with that advantage, Kane knew that Gastly's stamina was wearing thin. It wouldn't be able to dodge forever.
Victory was close at hand.
Thunderstorm's grin stretched wide, filled with a rare sense of satisfaction. Today, Kane would be defeated—by him.
Kane's eyes narrowed, focused intently on the chase unfolding before him. Despite Gastly's disadvantages, its speed was undeniable. But now, it was no longer a matter of speed—it was a matter of endurance.
Endurance?
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Kane's mind, a stroke of inspiration that could turn everything around. He had almost overlooked the solution in his frustration, nearly allowing himself to be caught off guard.
Kane smirked inwardly as the plan crystallized in his thoughts. It was a high-risk strategy, but in this moment, putting everything on the line was the only way to win.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone