Chương 29: **Chapter 29: Half a Moon in the Tower, Finally Seeing the Dawn of Victory**
Day after day, Kane's existence at the Ecruteak Gym was marked by the repetition of the same routines. It seemed like an endless loop where each day mirrored the last, filled with the same exercises, the same challenges, and the same Pokémon training. Two weeks had slipped by, and while to an outsider this might appear to be a monotonous life, to Kane, it was anything but dull. Every single moment of every single day was imbued with purpose, for every time he trained, every time he battled, he could see his Pokémon make progress, even if that progress was often slow and incremental.
The clock had ticked on, and before Kane knew it, half a month had passed. Yet, the training never ceased. The Pokémon, especially Ditto, were engaged in basic training exercises every single day. The focus of Ditto's training had been on speed, something Kane deemed absolutely essential. Without speed, Ditto's transformations, no matter how perfect, would always leave it vulnerable to counterattacks. So, every day, the primary goal was to sharpen Ditto's reflexes, improve its reaction time, and condition its body to move swiftly, no matter the transformation it took on.
Gastly, on the other hand, had been working on mastering a far more complicated and advanced technique: "Shadow Hypnosis." The development of this move, however, was slow. Progress seemed to be made in tiny, frustrating increments. There were so many elements needed to perfect the move: the range of the Night Shade, the strength of its phantom defense, the speed at which Hypnosis could be cast, and the difficulty of multitasking both the offensive and defensive components of the move simultaneously. Every day was a challenge to refine these elements, but Kane was patient. He understood that perfection took time and effort, and though gastly's progress was slow, he could see that Gastly was growing stronger and more adept with every training session.
Meanwhile, the five Banette Kane had trained as sparring partners for Gastly had become integral to Gastly's progress. Every day, these resentful shadow dolls would engage Gastly in battle, forcing it to perfect the timing and precision of "Shadow Hypnosis." It was a grueling process, but slowly, Gastly was getting a handle on the move. The technique of using Night Shade to absorb life energy was becoming more fluid, more natural. Gastly's ability to wield the move was sharpening, and Kane couldn't help but notice that the fear Gastly's life-draining abilities inspired was often more terrifying to opponents than Gastly's raw power alone. The mere threat of having their life energy absorbed was often enough to unsettle even the strongest of opponents.
Thunderstorm, too, had been hard at work for the past two weeks. His Pokémon Duskull, and Machop, were undergoing their own transformation, improving with each passing day. Just the day before, Duskull had managed to pull off a tricky maneuver, successfully casting a special attack just before a surprise attack by an enemy Pokémon. It was a historic leap forward in Duskull's combat abilities, and Thunderstorm couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at how far his Pokémon had come.
The past two weeks had been a test of endurance for both trainers and Pokémon alike. Their training had been relentless, and both Kane and Thunderstorm knew that this preparation was leading them toward one goal: to clear the first floor of the Bell Tower. They had tried to clear it over and over again, but each attempt had ended in failure. The tower's defenses were strong, and the Pokémon within it were formidable. For the past half month, every attempt had brought them closer to success, but not close enough. Kane could feel that they were on the verge of a breakthrough. It was only a matter of time before they would succeed.
Today, Kane and Thunderstorm were standing at the entrance of the Bell Tower, preparing for their eighteenth attempt to clear the first floor. The tension in the air was palpable. Their Pokémon had trained tirelessly for this moment.
"How confident are you this time?" Thunderstorm asked, his voice filled with both anticipation and a touch of skepticism.
Kane didn't pause to consider his answer. "If we lose this time, we shouldn't even bother coming out." His words were sharp, cold, and resolute. There was no room for failure in his mind.
Thunderstorm raised an eyebrow at Kane's confidence. "You're really that sure of yourself, huh?" he muttered under his breath. Despite his outward display of doubt, he trusted Kane's judgment. After all, Kane was nothing if not meticulous in his preparation.
Without wasting another moment, Kane walked into the tower, with his Ditto and Gastly flanking him. Thunderstorm followed close behind, his own Pokémon at the ready, though he couldn't shake the lingering unease that clung to him.
Inside the tower, the Pokémon that resided on the first floor had grown accustomed to their presence. For over half a month, they had been fighting the same haunters and their legion of Gastly. By now, both sides knew each other's strategies well. The Pokémon had become familiar with one another's movements and abilities. Each battle felt like a game of chess, with both sides trying to anticipate the other's next move.
"Foresight?" Thunderstorm commanded his Pokémon, as his voice barely more than a whisper.
"Ditto, transform. Gastly, use Night Shade for cover," Kane commanded with a voice that cut through the tense atmosphere. There was no room for error in his tone. Every move had to be executed with precision.
Ditto, as it had done so many times before, transformed into Haunter with ease. This transformation had become second nature to Ditto, allowing it to mimic Haunter's abilities almost perfectly. With practiced precision, Ditto hurled two Shadow Balls at the oncoming Pokémon. Over the past few weeks, Ditto's understanding of ghost-type moves had grown significantly. It had become adept at using these moves in combat, much to Kane's satisfaction.
Gastly, meanwhile, had conjured a vast expanse of Night Shade, creating a protective shroud that enveloped the battlefield in darkness. This dark cover provided Machop and Duskull with the necessary protection to move freely and set up their own attacks without worrying about the onslaught of ghost-type moves from their opponents.
It was only a matter of moments before the real battle began.
Under the cover of the Night Shade, both Machop and Duskull launched their Foresight, sending red brilliant beams of light shooting across the first floor of the Bell Tower. The light illuminated every corner, leaving no place for the gastly's to hide.
The gastly's, now fully materialized by the light, found themselves in disarray. Unprepared for such a powerful counterattack, they began to panic. The Gastly legion, which had previously been a well-coordinated force, was now scattered, unsure of how to respond to the sudden change in tactics.
"Now's the time to strike," Kane ordered, his voice calm yet commanding. Without a moment's hesitation, Gastly surged forward, its Night Shade moving like a dark cloud, swallowing the five nearest gastly in its path.
Gastly's life-absorbing abilities kicked into high gear, draining the very essence of the trapped ghosts, weakening them with every passing second.
The two Haunter, seeing the dire situation unfold, attempted to abandon their positions and rally their troops. But Ditto was relentless. It knew its role was to hold the line, and it did so with fierce determination. It launched Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball at the fleeing Haunter, preventing them from regrouping with the rest of the gastly legion.
Meanwhile, Duskull found itself locked in a tense battle with one of the ghastly, its shadow sneak attack barely holding its own against the gastly onslaught. A well-placed Shadow Ball from one of the Haunter shattered Duskull's defenses, forcing it to retreat, but not before dealing significant damage to its opponent.
At this point, the gastly legion, now disorganized and without proper leadership, surrounded Kane's team. The gastly's were attempting to form the dreaded Night Demon Shadow formation, a powerful move that had spelled disaster for Kane in previous attempts. If the formation was completed, breaking through it would be nearly impossible.
"They're trying to form the Night shade formation!" Kane shouted to Thunderstorm. "We have to stop them, no matter what!"
Thunderstorm, though frustrated by having to take orders from Kain, understood the gravity of the situation. He immediately commanded Machop and Duskull to engage the gastly's in close combat, hoping to disrupt their formation before it could be completed.
Machop, unaffected of ghost type moves, lunged forward with all its strength, delivering a devastating blow to two of the gastly. The gastly, caught off guard by Machop's raw physical power, were quickly overwhelmed and knocked out of the battle.
Duskull, however, was struggling. Its slower speed made it difficult to land a decisive blow on its opponents, and while it managed to distract some of the gastly, it wasn't able to do much damage. Still, its presence on the battlefield was crucial, as it kept the gastly from fully regrouping.
Kane's Gastly, meanwhile, had expanded its Night Shade even further, growing larger and darker with every moment. Kane knew that this was a sign that Gastly had successfully absorbed the life energy of the five gastly it had devoured earlier. One by one, the drained gastly fell from the dark cloud, their energy spent, leaving only a fraction of the gastly legion still standing.
With seven gastly now down, the Haunter's attempt to organize the Night shade formation had been effectively thwarted.
Kane's heart raced with anticipation. Victory was within reach.
Kane's heart raced with anticipation. Victory was within reach.
But just as the tides of battle seemed to be turning in their favor, the Haunter's launched a surprise counterattack. Shadow Balls flew across the battlefield with terrifying speed and precision, striking Duskull and knocking it to the ground. Exhausted and unable to keep fighting, Duskull was forced to retreat, leaving Machop to fend for itself against the remaining ghosts.
Still, Kane wasn't ready to give up. He had one final card to play.
"Gastly, now!" Kane's voice rang out, clear and resolute. It was time to unleash the full power of "Shadow Hypnosis."
Gastly responded immediately, sending out hypnotic waves of red energy that pulsed through the dark fog of Night Shade. The energy spread quickly, catching six of the remaining ghosts off guard. Within moments, they were rendered unconscious, their bodies falling limp to the ground.
Even Haunter, still trapped within the Night Shade, succumbed to the Hypnosis, its body falling from the cloud, unable to continue the fight.
The seven remaining gastly now focused their attacks on Machop, relentlessly targeting its position. Machop, despite its muscular strength and endurance, found itself overwhelmed. Its defensive stance was sturdy, but it could only block so many hits before beginning to falter. The gastly had wisely kept their distance after witnessing Machop's raw power firsthand, staying just out of reach of its physical blows. This made it difficult for Machop to close in and retaliate, as every attempt to get close was met with a barrage of gastly attacks that forced it back.
Machop's strength was impressive, but it was clear that it was playing a purely defensive role at this point, reacting to the gastly's movements rather than dictating the pace of the battle. The gastly's, knowing this, continued to stay on the offensive, circling around Machop like predators stalking their prey. They were maintaining a wide enough distance to avoid Machop's powerful strikes, which made the battle drag on. Every time Machop lunged forward to land a hit, the gastly's would simply pull back, keeping just out of range, leaving Machop without a viable way to close the gap.
From Kane's vantage point, it was becoming painfully clear that this strategy was not working. Machop was running out of stamina, and the situation was growing dire. The seven gastly's were exploiting the distance between them and Machop, and it was impossible for Machop to reach them without falling further into their trap. Kane clenched his fists, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way to turn the tide of the battle.
At the same time, Kane knew that using "Shadow Hypnosis" wouldn't work from this position. Shadow hypnosis required direct eye contact to be effective, and the gastly were purposefully keeping their backs turned to avoid it. They had learned to counter this move after so many battles, and they were staying far enough away to avoid falling into its range. Without a direct line of sight, Gastly's hypnosis was practically useless—no matter how potent it was, if the gastly weren't facing it, the move became little more than a wasted effort.
Kane's mind was a whirlwind of strategies, but none seemed like they could work under the current circumstances. Machop's strength was undeniable, but even it had its limits, and Kane could see that those limits were being pushed to the breaking point. If the gastly's abandoned their current strategy and launched a full-frontal assault, Machop wouldn't stand a chance. At its current strength, Machop could handle maybe two gastly's, but there were still seven surrounding it, and defeating all of them seemed an impossible task.
The battle had reached a critical moment. Kane could sense that victory was within reach, but at the same time, it felt like it was slipping further away with every passing second. The weight of the situation was pressing down on him. His usual sharp instincts felt dulled by the overwhelming pressure, and for the first time in a long while, Kane found himself stumped, unsure of where to strike next. His mind raced, but the solution eluded him, leaving him momentarily frozen in indecision.
He stood there, fists clenched, staring at the scene before him, knowing that he had to act quickly, but not knowing how.
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