章節 37: Morty and Fantina
The next day, early in the morning, Leo brought news that Yan would be arriving at the Ecruteak Gym tomorrow.
Left with no choice, they had to follow Leo in cleaning the gym and tidying up the place.
After working hard all morning, Cain naturally wanted to go back to the Crestmont Tomb to check it out again, but due to Leo's presence, he couldn't be as unrestrained.
With Yan returning tomorrow, this matter would be temporarily shelved.
In the afternoon, Cain and Raikou went to the area near the Bell Tower under the pretext of special training, leaving Leo to deal with the challenges at the gym alone.
Although Leo was a bit disheartened, he thought about how he had been playing outside for three days and didn't feel like he had the right to complain.
Once again, they set foot on the cobblestone path.
Yesterday, it was already dusk and they couldn't see much. Now, during the day, they could clearly see the Bell Tower and lonely mountain echoing each other, with the shadows of the tower and mountain converging on the bluestone path.
They opened the tomb once more.
The entire inside was covered in thick layers of dust, and they had no idea how long it had been since anyone had come to sweep the graves. Following the same route as yesterday, they looked over the graves from beginning to end but still found nothing.
"Do you think we might have gone in the wrong direction?" Raikou asked, somewhat discouraged.
Cain shook his head without answering. According to his analysis, they should be in the right place. Among the four directions, this area had the heaviest with ghost energy, and under the dual reflections of the Bell Tower and Lonely Mountain, there were very few places with sunlight. Even now, during broad daylight, they could still feel the oppressive ghost energy that had accumulated over the years.
"Look, there's writing here, but unfortunately, I don't recognize it."
Raikou suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the bronze cauldron in the stone pavilion.
Cain walked over and wiped it, "It's ancient script."
"Do you recognize it?" Raikou asked, full of hope.
"Our people have abandoned the custom of tomb-sweeping and ancestor worshiping since my time. Today, a pavilion is built and a cauldron is erected here, so that future generations may come and pay their respects to the lost souls. --Written by Crestmont the Fourth."
Cain read the words on the cauldron.
"So, this cauldron was set up by the Fourth Crestmont. I thought it had been here since the tomb was built."
Raikou's casual remark caught Cain's attention, and his eyes lit up.
"It's the Fourth again; the clues must be here."
After saying this, Cain took off his shirt and began to wipe the bronze cauldron and stone pavilion. Raikou sensed Cain's attitude, so he removed his shirt and helped with the cleaning.
The dust on the bronze cauldron was several centimeters thick, and the dust, ash, and paper ashes under the cauldron's legs were even thicker, piling up to several tens of centimeters.
The two of them found shovels to clear away the dust and clean the area, keeping busy for a full hour.
It was almost time for dinner, and they couldn't let Leo find out what they had been doing.
Without taking a break, Cain and Raikou began observing the bronze cauldron and stone pavilion; on the surface, there seemed to be nothing unusual.
However, the four legs of the bronze cauldron were embedded in the stone pavilion.
"This must be the sealing masterpiece of Crestmont the Fourth. To continue exploring, we can only destroy the stone pavilion and the bronze cauldron," Cain was almost certain of his speculation.
"Destroy it? That's not realistic," Raikou said.
"No rush, we have clues now. We can make plans for the future. It's getting late; let's quickly cover the legs of the bronze cauldron with ash," Cain and Raikou got busy once again.
After taking care of everything, they didn't linger and quickly left the cemetery.
After the pair left, a Mega Gengar rose from the ground...
Back at the gym, all they heard were Leo's complaints. His good days had indeed come to an end since Yan had returned.
At night, Cain once again told Raikou to act as if nothing had happened. Although they now had some clues, they were still far from executing their plan, and they couldn't afford to startle their opponents.
From his observation, the stone pavilion was made of the hardest diamond, and the thickness of the bronze cauldron had reached 20 centimeters. Such a structure would be immovable even by twenty Machamps.
Moreover, the strength of Yan was not something Cain could challenge at the moment, so he had to be patient and wait until he had enough power to investigate further.
Let everything return to normal for now.
Cain and Raikou practiced their recent learned skills in the courtyard, battling with their Gastly and Duskull. All their thoughts were temporarily shelved away.
The next day, the sun was shining brightly, the sky was clear, and there was not a trace of haze.
Leo, Cain, and Raikou were waiting for Yan at the entrance of the gym.
Yan appeared in their sight with a young boy and a little girl.
Leo whispered, "Master is really capable, bringing back a daughter-in-law so quickly. Do you know who that little girl is? She's Fantina, the pearl of the Leader of the Hearthome Gym."
Cain and Raikou completely ignored him, and Leo, feeling bored, closed his mouth.
Upon entering the main hall of the Gym, Yan introduced everyone.
"This is Fantina, from Hearthome City. Her knowledge of Ghost-type Pokémon is already extraordinary. She will be an apprentice at the Ecruteak Gym for two months, so don't bully her," Yan said.
"Uncle Yan, I'm not afraid if they bully me. I'm confident I can easily defeat them," Fantina said confidently, proud of her abilities.
Yan could only smile and didn't want to dampen the young girl's spirit.
Raikou's face was already gloomy, being mocked by such a young girl was not a glorious thing. Cain remained expressionless, with a different mindset, and didn't see Fantina as more than just a little girl. She still had a long way to go in terms of battling.
"Cain, Raikou," Yan called.
"Yes!"
"As you know, the Ecruteak Gym specializes in Ghost-type Pokémon. Passing the first floor of the Brass Tower shows your excellence, so challenges above the first floor of the Brass Tower must be done with Ghost-type Pokémon. Of course, you can train your other types of Pokémon in the Gym, but they cannot be used to challenge the Brass Tower," Yan explained.
This was reasonable, as a Gym generally specializes in one type of Pokémon, and it's the Gym's signature. Since it's the signature, it has to be well known. There are annual Gym assessments, friendly matches between Gyms, and Gym disciple assessments. After all, the League needs to assess whether the Gym's successor has the ability to inherit the Gym.
Many Gyms have lost their inheritance due to a lack of disciples, leading to outsiders taking their place. Therefore, the selection of disciples by Gym Leaders is quite strict. In practice, it's more about supporting their descendants, and over time, it has formed a hereditary system.
The main reason is that their descendants control the economic power and the Gym's affiliated businesses. Even if they are slightly weaker, these fellow disciples will still rely on you.
Economic foundation determines the superstructure, and money can make one stand tall anywhere.
However, upon hearing Yan's words, Raikou couldn't stay calm and immediately retorted, "Master, Cain and I, with our four Pokémon, took 18 days to challenge the first floor of the Brass Tower. You said it would get harder the higher we go, how could we possibly pass with just two Ghost-type Pokémon?"
What Raikou said was true. Now they only had Gastly and Duskull, both of which were low-level with a few learned moves, making it impossible to continue challenging the Brass Tower.
In response to Raikou's rebuttal, Yan said, "The purpose of the Gym is to cultivate talent, not suppress it. I wouldn't ask you to do something impossible. So, the upcoming challenge will be taken on by the four of you together."
Everyone in the room looked at each other.
"Father, you mean?" Morty asked.
Yan nodded and said, "Yes, the Spiritomb you just caught in Sinnoh also needs training, and Fantina, your special training in the Brass Tower was directly instructed by your father. I'll give you four people two months' time. Each of you must bring one Pokémon and pass the fifth floor. Keep in mind that only by passing the fifth floor of the Brass Tower can you ensure your ability to protect yourselves in the wild."
"Uncle Yan, I refuse. They won't be holding me and Big Brother Morty back, will they?" Fantina pouted.
Morty quickly interrupted her, "Fantina, Cain and Raikou are both very strong, don't worry about that."
"I don't believe it, I want to test their strength."
Upon hearing this, Raikou immediately became spirited. He was already filled with anger and had nowhere to vent it, so he said, "Little girl, don't cry when you lose, haha."
"You, I will definitely beat you until you're searching for your teeth on the ground. I'll team up with Big Brother Morty, and you guys will be one team. How about a doubles battle? Do toy dare to accept?" Fantina challenged.
Hearing this, Raikou became even more enthusiastic. He knew Cain's strength very well, and having a doubles battle only added to his confidence. He said, "I'll accept any challenge you throw at me."
He then glanced at Cain.
Cain also wanted to teach this arrogant little girl a lesson. He knew Fantina's true abilities very well. Although she later inherited her father's Hearthome Gym, she indulged in the Pokemon Contests, neglecting her original battle skills.
The Pokemon Contest was a purely ornamental competition, only for entertainment. A Pokemon's Attack must be "fast, accurate, and ruthless," seizing the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow. If you spent too much time researching how to make your moves more beautiful and appeling, you would have been struck down by your opponent already.
In Cain's eyes, a Gym Leader who is obsessed with the Pokemon Contest was bound to have a bad end. What was Hearthome City?
A major city in the eastern part of Sinnoh, many people dreamed of conquering the Hearthome Gym. After Fantina became obsessed with the Pokemon Contests, her strength plummeted, and the Hearthome Gym was soon taken over by Yubo, an old friend of hers.
Yubo!
When Cain thought of this name, he couldn't help but feel moved. She was indeed a good woman.
Cain composed himself and said, "I have no objections."
"Let's get started then," said Fantina, heading towards the battlefield.
Morty was dragged into this for no reason.
Cain and Raikou naturally sent out their Gastly and Duskull.
Morty released his newly caught Spiritomb, and Fantina had a Drifloon.
"How much confidence do you have?" Raikou quietly asked Cain.
"One hundred percent. Just pay attention to the timing of using Disable," Cain said, his eyes fixed on the opponent's two Pokémon.
Hearing Cain's words, Raikou's confidence soared. "Don't worry, we'll take the first move. Duskull, use Shadow Sneak on Drifloon."
Shadow Sneak was executed extremely quickly, as Duskull's shadow rapidly extended, and a black claw suddenly appeared behind Drifloon.
"Spiritomb, quickly protect Drifloon and use Feint Attack."
"Embargo." Cain commanded, waiting for Morty to rescue Fantina.
Spiritomb charged towards the Shadow Claw which was behind Drifloon. Suddenly, a Gastly appeared and used Embargo, making Spiritomb shudder and freeze in place.
"Curse."
Taking advantage of Spiritomb's moment of distraction, Gastly sacrificed half of its own HP to infuse the power of Curse into Spiritomb.
Spiritomb had no weakness other than the Fairy type, and it had high defenses and decent offenses, making it the strongest of the four Pokémon. In a normal battle, it would not be an easy opponent for any Pokémon.
However, Spiritomb's weakness was its slow speed, so Curse was specifically prepared for it. Spiritomb's strength continued to drain due to the curse.
At this point, Fantina's Drifloon was almost knocked down by Duskill's Shadow Sneak .
After just one move, Morty and Fantina were completely at a disadvantage. Fantina's face turned red from embarrassment, as she had been boastful just moments ago, but now she was the one being mocked.
"Fantina, don't give up until the very last moment, use Double Ominous Wind."
Morty was indeed a skilled battler, and always had been. Encouraged by him, Spiritomb and Drifloon both used Ominous Wind. The entire battlefield was suddenly swept up in a horrifying storm, as if a chilling wind from hell had arrived.
"Resist this attack, and we'll win. Use Night Shade to defend."
Cain said, and Gastly and Duskull both used Night Shade. A cloud of darkness rose around them, resisting the Ominous Wind.
Relying on Spiritomb's powerful individual ability, Gastly and Duskull gradually couldn't hold on. Night Shade was consumed.
Since Gastly had already expended half of its energy, it couldn't withstand such a powerful Ominous Wind. It hid behind Duskull, reducing the power of the Ominous Wind. Duskull spun its body and used Infestation, weakening the force of the Ominous Wind and successfully protecting Gengar.
At this point, Spiritomb's strength was drained further, and it was beginning to falter.
"Now's the time," Cain reminded.
"Duskull, use Disable on Spiritomb!" Raikou shouted.
"This is bad." Morty knew they were in trouble, but now Spiritomb couldn't dodge at all, and could only rely on Fantina.
"Drifloon, use Psychic on Duskull."
As expected of a Gym Leader's daughter, she had learned Psychic, but it was useless. At this moment, Gastly had already appeared behind Drifloon.
"Confuse Ray."
Cain sneered, and a string of starlight had already surrounded Drifloon. The Confuse Ray disrupted Drifloon's thoughts, causing it to enter a confused state, crashing around aimlessly in the air.
In an instant, Duskull had also used Disable on Spiritomb.
Ominous Wind was Spiritomb's strongest attack at the moment, but now it was sealed off. Combined with the continuous loss of stamina, it was almost finished.
The confused Drifloon left Fantina at a loss.
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