章節 45: ##Chapter 45: Hell Difficulty Begins
Kane carefully attached the curse talisman to Gastly's body, and immediately, he noticed the temperature around them drop several degrees. Every now and then, an unsettling gust of cold wind would sweep by, carrying with it an ominous sense of foreboding. It was as if the very air had become thick with something unnatural.
"I'll give you all a day off today to enjoy yourselves," Chiyama announced suddenly, his voice cutting through the eerie atmosphere.
His decision was met with confusion from everyone. No one could quite grasp what Chiyama was planning or why he would make such an unexpected offer. It felt out of place, almost as if he had some hidden agenda. But no one was in a position to refuse. The decision was made, and while puzzling, it did provide a moment of respite. Of course, the person most excited about the sudden break was none other than Melissa.
Taking full advantage of the rare opportunity, Melissa took komatsu out for a tour around Ecruteak City. Known for its deep-rooted cultural practices such as the tea ceremony, classical dance, and flower arrangement, Ecruteak City was a treasure trove of traditional arts. It was the perfect distraction, a calming contrast to the tense battles they had faced.
Thunderstorm, on the other hand, chose to venture out alone. His goal wasn't leisure; he needed to report their situation to his elders. He hoped they might find a way to crack open the mysteries surrounding the stone pavilion and the bronze cauldron. The weight of their mission hung heavily on his shoulders.
Kane, meanwhile, decided to dust off his bicycle, which had been sitting unused for over a month. His destination was Thunder Town.
As the four of them dispersed, Chiyama watched them leave, shaking his head slightly. "These kids are truly gifted," he muttered under his breath. "Originally, I thought they'd only make it to the fourth floor in about two months, but here they are, reaching the fourth floor in just half that time. Impressive… but I suppose it's time to ramp up the difficulty."
With a quiet sigh, Chiyama turned and made his way towards the Bell Tower, already beginning to adjust the tactics for the fourth-floor challenge.
When Kane arrived at the training house in Thunder Town, the familiar sound of bustling activity filled the air. Tatsuo, busy as always, spotted Kane and greeted him warmly.
"Kane! You've got some free time, I see. Word is you've been making waves as a trainee under Master Chiyama at Ecruteak Gym," Tatsuo remarked, clearly enthusiastic to see Kane after such a long while.
Kane nodded, but his purpose for visiting wasn't just to catch up. He had come to check on the Ariados that Tatsuo had been carefully breeding. He wanted to see how the progress was coming along.
"You've got a bright future ahead of you, Kane. Why don't we take a look at the breeding farm? We've selected the first-stage female Ariados and a male Beedrill. They're undergoing relationship building right now," Tatsuo said, his voice brimming with pride and accomplishment.
Listening to Tatsuo talk about his methods, Kane couldn't help but feel a sense of impatience rising within him. Tatsuo's approach was traditional and slow, far too methodical for Kane's tastes. He almost wanted to call him "old-fashioned." By following this tedious process, Tatsuo wouldn't see results for at least three years. Even worse, he allowed the Pokémon to develop their relationship naturally, instead of taking advantage of modern methods. There were "Pokémon estrus drugs" available that could speed things up considerably, yet Tatsuo refused to use them. Kane inwardly scoffed—Tatsuo had no real potential as a businessman. It was no wonder that despite dedicating his life to the breeding farm, Tatsuo was still stuck in a small place like Thunder Town.
"No, I'm just here to check things out. I heard you bought a scolipede for 40,000 poke dollars?" Kane questioned, steering the conversation back on track.
Tatsuo's eyes lit up. "Yes! I've been taking great care of it, carefully imitating the humid environment from the Unova region to ensure its growth. And—"
Before Tatsuo could launch into one of his long-winded explanations, Kane cut him off, barely concealing his impatience.
"It'll be worth only ten thousand poke dollars soon," Kane said flatly, his tone cutting through Tatsuo's enthusiasm like a knife.
"Ten thousand? Impossible!" Tatsuo protested, clearly taken aback.
"Check the news. A large number of scolipede have been flooding the streets of Castelia City in the Unova region. Trainers are being called in to capture them. Give it less than half a month, and those Scolipede will be all over the black market. Their value will plummet."
Without waiting for Tatsuo's response, Kane turned and left. He had no interest in staying any longer. There were things he simply couldn't discuss openly, not with his current reputation. After all, what would it look like for a seven-year-old child to suggest using estrus drugs to speed up breeding?
As Kane departed, Tatsuo stood there, staring after him, feeling a strange sense of frustration building up inside. It was as if his entire life's work had been dismissed in a single moment. How could it be that a boy—someone so young—had such a clearer view of the market than he did? The realization left him feeling as though he had wasted most of his life.
Back in Ecruteak City, Kane stopped by the market to buy ten iron darts before heading to the gym. He was the first one to return. Alone at the training grounds, he set up for his special training. Gastly had grown increasingly proficient at using both Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb, though Kane knew the key to further improvement lay in refining Gastly's concentration and precision.
He placed the iron darts in a neat row. "Gastly, focus your Shadow Ball's energy on these darts and. Launch them."
Ghost gathered the dark energy into a concentrated Shadow Ball and hurled it at the first iron darts. The darts, weighed down by its iron build, only flew about seven or eight meters before hitting the ground. Kane nodded in approval—this was an improvement. Without the spell tag to enhance Gastly's power, the darts would barely have gone five or six meters.
Kane picked up the darts and lined them up again. Gastly grepeated the task, throwing the Shadow Balls over and over. The repetitive action was essential to mastering control.
As Kane focused on his training, Chiyama passed by and noticed Kane's unique method. Intrigued, he stopped and watched silently for a while. Kane's training was beyond the scope of what Chiyama had taught him, raising questions about where Kane had learned such a method.
Curious, Chiyama approached. "Kane, who taught you this training method?"
Without hesitation, Kane replied, "I came up with it myself."
Chiyama raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "And where did you find the inspiration for such a technique?"
Kane's response was simple, almost nonchalant. "I came up with it when I realized sharp pointy objects hurt more when than blunt objects."
Chiyama chuckled at the answer. It was a straightforward observation, but it demonstrated Kane's ability to think outside the box, applying practical logic to battle strategies. "What a thoughtful kid," Chiyama muttered. "No wonder he's been able to progress so quickly through the Bell Tower's challenges. His talent is extraordinary... but what a shame."
Chiyama sighed to himself. He could see that Kane had the potential to achieve great things, but without significant financial support, even a genius like Kane would hit a ceiling. At best, he could hope to become an Alliance ranger, but anything beyond that seemed unlikely.
Kane, however, was well aware of his own limitations. His life's plan was clear, and he understood the importance of building a strong economic foundation first.
Later that evening, after dinner, the usual self-study session was canceled. Kane returned to his room, where he resumed practicing with his dagger, using the Ditto as a target. He maintained a consistent distance of eight meters, knowing that the further back he trained, the more difficult it would become. Kane was treating this as a long-term project, knowing that patience and perseverance were key to mastering it.
As the night drew on, there was still no sign of the other three. Their absence left Kane with more time to focus on his training, and he welcomed the quiet solitude. Fortunately, his special training sessions wouldn't be delayed.
The next morning, under Komatsu's suggestion, they decided to train every morning and reserve the afternoons for tower challenges. This plan suited Kane perfectly, and no one raised any objections.
Kane's special training was now firmly in place. Though Komatsu and the others couldn't quite grasp the purpose behind Kane's methods, they respected his focus and trained separately.
That afternoon, the four of them finally set foot on the fourth floor of the Bell Tower.
When they saw the Pokémon guarding the floor, Komatsu's initial reaction was one of disbelief. A Gengar, accompanied by twenty Haunters.
The strength gap between them was enormous. Gengar had already reached its final evolution stage, while only Komatsu's SpiritBomb had evolved. Kane's gastly, Thunderstorms Duskull, and Melissa's Drifloon had yet to evolve, leaving them at a disadvantage. The fact that the enemy outnumbered them only made matters worse. Was the fourth floor truly a dividing line, marking the beginning of hell difficulty?
"Don't be scared , Let's observe their tactics first," Kane said, his voice calm amidst the tension.
"youre right there's no point in felling scared now!" The Gengar let out a loud and fierce roar, a battle cry that echoed throughout the Tower. Komatsu, sensing the urgency of the situation, took the initiative and launched the first attack, not willing to wait any longer.
"Spiritomb, use Snarl!" he commanded, his voice sharp with focus.
On the other side, Gastly released a Shadow Ball, launching the dark sphere of energy with precision. Kane, ever watchful, fixed his gaze on the Shadow Ball's form, carefully studying its structure as it hurtled forward. There was no sign of change in its shape or energy yet. Kane reminded himself that it had only been a single day since they began this approach, so the lack of immediate progress was to be expected and was still within normal parameters.
Despite their efforts, even though the attacks coming from their side were strong, filled with force and intent, they were effortlessly neutralized by the opposing Haunter's. The ghostly Pokémon blocked and deflected each move, showing just how resilient and strategic they could be. Before they knew it, five Haunters had formed a tight circle around their four Pokémon, effectively trapping them in a ghostly ambush.
This ambush, however, was no ordinary confrontation. Unlike the earlier encounter with the Spiritomb, this time the stakes were much higher, and the challenge far more difficult. Each of their Pokémon was now facing off against five Haunters at once, each one of them firing off ten Shadow Punches in quick succession. The sheer number of attacks was overwhelming, with no room for hesitation.
Above them, Gengar hovered ominously, always present, always watching. It floated in the air with eerie ease, its wicked grin unwavering. Gengar wasn't just a spectator, however; it was waiting, biding its time. The moment it detected any weakness in their defenses, any flaw in their strategy, it would swoop down with lightning speed to deliver support to its allies, reinforcing their strength and complicating the situation even further.
This time, the tactics they were up against were far more refined and dangerous...
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票