บท 43: ##Chapter: 43 Sludge bomb ##
In the lecture hall of Ecruteak Gym, Kane held The TM in his hands, the TM was the move "Sludge Bomb." This was the next step in the intense training process for his gastly. The TM was slotted into the machine, which displayed an image of the move's execution. This time, the focus was on the putrid and corrosive properties of toxic sludge, which would serve as the "lecturer" in this instructional exercise. The visual demonstration showed the formation and execution of the Sludge Bomb move, providing a detailed breakdown for the Pokémon to observe and learn from.
Both the Sludge Bomb and Shadow Ball techniques had something in common—they were moves that relied on being thrown as projectile attacks. However, the key difference was that the Sludge Bomb move concentrated on the energy of the Poison-type, rather than the Ghost-type, and required the user to channel toxic properties.
Once the visual guide ended, Kane could tell from his Gastly's focused expression that it had absorbed the lesson well. The technique was now imprinted in its mind. Satisfied with the completion of this stage, Kane led the gastly back to the training ground.
Meanwhile, back at the training ground, Komatsu, Thunderstorm, and Melissa were deeply immersed in their own practice sessions, working diligently to perfect their new skills. Their movements had become more fluid, more natural with each passing day. However, Melissa, after their prior tension, seemed to deliberately avoid paying any attention to Kane's presence.
Kane, equally disinterested in acknowledging their existence, walked calmly to an empty area of the training field. His mind focused solely on his gastly's progress. "Gastly, let's try something new. Start by using your poison core to secrete venom," Kane instructed, his sharp eyes paying careful attention, watching every small movement his Gastly made.
As Kane set up his training, Komatsu happened to notice the peculiar transformation in the appearance of Kane's gastly. The gastly's skin, now a strange hue of purple, stood out clearly. Intrigued, Komatsu approached Kane with a questioning expression. "Kane, something's different about your gastly," Komatsu observed, his voice filled with curiosity. "It doesn't look like it did before. Its skin color... it's changed. Did it mutate or something?"
Kane, still focused on his ghost, replied without turning his head. "it didn't mutate. I just stimulated its poisonous properties," he said matter-of-factly, eyes following his Pokémon's every move.
Komatsu nodded in understanding, but his curiosity remained unsatisfied. He had been around Ghost-type Pokémon for most of his life and had studied every available resource on them. Yet, in all his experience, he had never come across anything that suggested Ghost-types had such a potent connection to poison. According to the books he read, gastly possessed poison- type attribute, but they weren't typically able to learn many Poison-type moves. The ghost type Pokémon's weakness to Psychic-types had led researchers to suspect it had some poison attributes, but even then, its access to Poison-type moves was extremely limited. Its Ghost-type powers generally overshadowed its poison traits.
Komatsu continued to watch Kane's gastly in fascination, as this phenomenon was unprecedented in his studies. He had never heard of a gastly secreting venom on its own. Komatsu, always eager to expand his knowledge about Ghost-types, couldn't help but feel drawn to this unique occurrence.
Meanwhile, Kane's gastly was hard at work. It focused on the task, tapping into its internal poison core. Soon enough, venom began to drip from its sharp fangs, pooling onto the ground. The venom was thick, with a dark purple hue, and it quickly corroded the surface it touched. The sight confirmed what Kane had suspected all along: by absorbing the swalot's poison sacks, his gastly had gained a toxic ability of its own, almost mimicking the properties of the swalot's deadly fluids.
Komatsu's eyes widened in surprise. "Your gastly... it can secrete venom like that?" he asked, barely able to contain his astonishment. "Kane, how on earth did you manage to do that?"
Kane glanced at him for a moment before giving a calculated response. "I activated its poison core by using Poison-type skills. It's not easy, though. It takes a lot of time, effort, and pain. The gastly had to endure an entire day and night of intense suffering for this to work." His tone was casual, but the underlying message was clear: this wasn't something easily replicated.
Komatsu took in every word, nodding as if Kane had just revealed a great secret. Even though Kane's explanation was vague, it still felt like a treasure of information to Komatsu, whose mind was always hungry for new insights into Ghost-type Pokémon.
With this newfound venomous capability, Kane knew it was time to start practicing the Sludge Bomb technique in earnest. Gastly concentrated, pulling poison energy from deep within its core. Slowly, a swirling mass of purple poison energy began to take shape, forming into a dense, toxic ball. As venom dripped from its fangs, the gastly infused the Sludge Bomb with its own lethal poison.
At first, gastly struggled to condense the Sludge Bomb as smoothly as it did the Shadow Ball. Its Ghost-type energy was naturally dominant, making it difficult to balance it's poison attribute. But with persistence, the sludge bomb slowly became more refined. As gastly hurled the toxic bomb at a nearby target, the corrosive properties of the sludge bomb became evident. The explosion tore through the rocky ground, leaving scorched and damaged earth in its wake. The sheer power of the poison shocked even Kane, who watched with a small smile of satisfaction.
Though Ghost-types were typically seen as being weak with poison-based moves, Kane was more than pleased with the progress his gastly was making. With Ditto serving as the perfect sparring partner, the gastly continued to practice the Sludge Bomb technique. After two full days of intense practice, the move had become increasingly familiar to gastly, and its execution was nearing perfection.
While Kane's ghost honed its skills, Komatsu, Thunderstorm, and Melissa were also hard at work. They had been practicing their new moves for five days straight, and they had each reached a level of mastery. Kane observed their progress for a moment, but his focus remained on his own training. He knew that this practice was just the beginning; real strength could only be forged in actual combat.
Chiyama, ever the vigilant leader, observed the four trainers as they demonstrated their newly acquired skills. He was pleased with their progress, especially Kane's gastly, which had shown surprising development. Although Chiyama was curious about the gastly's new abilities, Kane deflected his inquiries, attributing everything to his late father. With no way to verify the story, Chiyama could only accept Kane's vague explaination.
The next day, the group of four found themselves back on the third floor of the Bell Tower, once again facing the Duskull Legion led by the ghostly Dusclop. It was their second attempt at this challenge, but Kane's real goal was simply to give his Gastly more battle experience.
This challenge was no easy feat. Without any solid tactics, there was no hope of advancing through sheer brute force like the other floors. Despite the confidence Komatsu, Thunderstorm, and Melissa had gained from their newly learned skills, they struggled against the Duskull' Will - O - Wisp and their coordinated tactics. They had attempted the challenge ten times over the course of five days, but each time ended in failure.
Melissa was growing anxious, and Komatsu was frustrated by their lack of progress.
Thunderstorm, on the other hand, remained indifferent. He didn't seem to care whether they passed the challenge or not.
Kane, on the other hand, was always at the forefront during these battles, attacking with relentless aggression. His ferocity in battle left an impression on Komatsu and Melissa, and Melissa, in particular, found her anger toward Kane beginning to fade. Little did they know that Kane's focus wasn't on winning the challenge at all. He was solely using the battles as a way to train and strengthen his Gastly.
For Kane, no battle—no matter how small—should be taken lightly. Any hint of carelessness could easily turn a minor skirmish into a life-or-death confrontation, and Kane had no intention of giving his enemies that kind of opportunity.
On the sixth day, Komatsu called for a meeting before they attempted the challenge again.
"We've tried to clear the third floor of Bell tower for five days now with ten attempts—and every time we've had the same result. If we keep rushing in without a plan, we'll just keep failing," Komatsu explained.
Thunderstorm remained uninterested, refusing to engage in any tactical discussions.
Melissa, eager to succeed but lacking ideas, also remained silent.
Eventually, all three of them turned their attention to Kane, hoping he would provide a solution.
Kane, however, had no particular desire to pass the test. His interest had been purely in strengthening his Gastly, and by now, he felt he had gained all the training value he could from battling Duskull. It was time to move on.
"Let's go," Kane said simply, giving Komatsu a glance before leading the way into Bell Tower.
Komatsu and Melissa exchanged uncertain looks, unsure of where Kane's sudden confidence was coming from. Nevertheless, they followed him inside.
"You're so eager to show off," Thunderstorm muttered under his breath, trailing behind the group.
As the four of them entered the third floor, they were once again greeted by the organized formation of the Duskull Legion, a sight that had haunted both Komatsu and Melissa in their previous attempts.
"What's the plan?" Komatsu asked hesitantly.
"Divide and conquer," Kane replied, his tone cold and resolute.
His answer shocked the group. If the combined strength of their four Pokémon couldn't overcome the Duskull legion, splitting up would only make things worse, wouldn't it?
Kane, noticing their surprise, sneered at their hesitation.
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