A Different Spell Tag

"Now we can talk properly, right? You should understand by now that I'm not here to take anything from you. The main issue is that living here has affected a lot of Pokémon, and this place is a shelter. You've affected the other people here too."

Looking at the mostly recovered Dhelmise, Blake spoke.

"Rrrumble. (But there's something here that attracts me.)"

Dhelmise let out a low growl.

"I can sense it too. There really is something unusual inside that safe. Have you seen what it is?"

Blake understood that as well. After all, it was difficult for a Dhelmise living on the seafloor to find suitable resources. Or rather, except in certain special places, wild Pokémon generally had a hard time obtaining resources to grow stronger. Because of that, Pokémon would fight fiercely over things that Trainers considered ordinary. There was nothing particularly wrong with what Dhelmise had done, but his refusal to leave was becoming troublesome.

"Rrrumble. (No.)"

As Dhelmise spoke, he shook his body. He was too large to reach the object precisely, and he was afraid of accidentally damaging it, so he had never dared to make a move. After all, he was not a gaseous Pokémon like Haunter who could pass through many solid objects. The seaweed around him was very thick.

"Then Haunter, help me take it out."

"Gengar! (~￣▽￣)~"

Haunter waved his little hands and floated over to the safe embedded in the wall, passing directly through it. Before long, he flew back clutching a paper talisman. Blake could clearly feel that the moment it appeared, the Ghost-type energy throughout the entire room surged dramatically.

"A Spell Tag? But how can it hold such powerful energy?"

Blake took the Spell Tag. Looking at the familiar talisman paper in his hand, he spoke with a face full of shock. Haunter and Dhelmise moved closer as well; clearly, the energy on the Spell Tag made both of them feel comfortable.

"Wait, the materials are different. What kind of ink is this?"

Blake stared at the Spell Tag in surprise. Thanks to his family background, he was quite knowledgeable, especially since he could draw talismans himself. Ordinary Spell Tags were made using regular ink mixed with a certain proportion of Ghost Gem powder, and their effects gradually faded over time. Those exceptionally rare talismans were drawn with materials produced by Ghost-type Pokémon. But compared to the Spell Tags in his family's collection, this one was on a completely different level. The energy contained within it was simply astonishing! Even sealed inside the safe, it could affect its surroundings. Fortunately, this place was far from civilization and Ghost-type Pokémon were scarce. Otherwise, it would have definitely become a gathering place for Ghost-type Pokémon.

"Gengar—￣﹃￣"

"Rrrumble￣﹃￣"

Haunter and Dhelmise both stared longingly at it. Such a powerful treasure made even well-traveled Haunter and resource-starved Dhelmise unable to resist wanting to stick it onto themselves.

"This talisman is extraordinary. We'll have to study it carefully later. If we can uncover its secrets, it could be a major discovery for the entire world. But there's no rush right now."

As Blake spoke, he took a small box from his waist pouch and neatly placed the Spell Tag inside before closing the lid. In the next instant, the dense Ghost-type energy vanished completely, leaving both Pokémon looking disappointed. (Dhelmise: I don't have a face.)

"Alright, we can discuss that later. For now, let me ask you, Dhelmise. Are you willing to become my Pokémon? If not, I'll compensate you with some resources that Ghost-type Pokémon need. They may not compare to this Spell Tag, but they might suit you better. After all, its energy is too powerful. You aren't a pure Ghost-type Pokémon, so not only would most of that energy go to waste for you, it would also affect your own Grass type. Then I'll have someone find a suitable place to release you back into the wild. What do you think?"

Blake looked at Dhelmise and spoke seriously. He was not joking. Overly powerful Ghost-type energy would indeed affect Dhelmise. Although Dhelmise's primary type was Ghost and his secondary type was Grass, balance was the key to a Pokémon growing stronger. If one side became too dominant, it would cause an imbalance in his own energy.

"Rrrumble..."

Dhelmise hesitated. He truly liked being free on his own, but he fully acknowledged Blake's strength. Just one Gastly had beaten him so thoroughly that he could not fight back at all. He also liked the aura around Blake, and he was somewhat reluctant to part with that Spell Tag. After thinking for a moment, Dhelmise extended a strand of seaweed and placed it on Blake's hand.

"Ha, welcome aboard, Dhelmise. Please take care of me."

Blake smiled as he held Dhelmise's leaf.

"Gengar! (´▽`)ﾉ"

Haunter floated over too, grabbed another of Dhelmise's seaweed leaves, and shook it up and down. Having only recently gained hands, Haunter was now interested in anything that required hands.

"Rrrumble—!!"

Dhelmise also let out an excited cry. The other party truly gave him a good feeling, and he did not regret joining him.

"Let's go. There's nothing else worth paying attention to here. The others are still waiting outside."

Blake released Dhelmise's leaf as he spoke.

"Gengar! (￣▽￣)／"

Just as Blake was about to turn around and leave, Haunter suddenly stopped him and smiled as he pointed at the safe from earlier.

"Is there something else in there?"

Blake immediately understood Haunter's meaning.

"Gengar. ヽ(￣▽￣)ﾉ"

Haunter nodded, then floated over to the safe, reached inside, and rummaged around. Then... Haunter pulled out an enormous diamond.

"We hit the jackpot! No, wait, a diamond?"

Blake said in surprise. There were many gemstones in this world—countless, even—but a diamond this large and this dazzling was indeed rare. It was a valuable item.

"Gengar, hehehe. (≖ᴗ≖)✧"

Haunter gave a thumbs-up. Perhaps because the diamond had been stored beside the Spell Tag for so long, it had also absorbed Ghost-type energy. Not only that, there was a faint trace of some other kind of energy, but Blake could not tell what it was.

"Great job, Haunter. I'll treat you to a feast tonight! It'll also be perfect for celebrating Dhelmise joining us."

Blake said, giving Haunter a thumbs-up.

"Gengar! (❁´◡`❁)✲ﾟ"

Haunter spoke with a blissful expression, while Dhelmise was somewhat confused. He really did not understand what a feast was. He had spent most of his life on the seafloor and knew little about human food. His unusual body structure also meant that he could not eat like other Pokémon.

"Don't worry. I have a way."

Blake understood Dhelmise's concern and was not worried in the slightest. After all, Ghost-type Pokémon were famously likely to have no mouths, and his family had raised Ghost-type Pokémon for generations, so they had naturally considered that long ago and made preparations.

"Hey! Blake! What's going on over there? Are you alright?"

Uncle Sam felt that bone-chilling sensation from earlier disappear, and after hearing the cheers from the captain's cabin, he called out.

"It's all taken care of! We'll be right out!"

Hearing Uncle Sam's shout, Blake quickly answered, then called Haunter and Dhelmise and ran toward the door. His first independent mission could finally be officially declared complete!