The ship was huge and carried plenty of Pokémon Trainers, so Pokémon battles were going on everywhere. Most of the Pokémon Trainers were fairly mediocre, though, and failed to catch Liu Qing's interest. After finding a few better matches to watch and joining in a few himself, he returned to his cabin to rest.
Three days passed quickly, and Liu Qing disembarked at Blue Purlieu. After a brief rest and several more days of walking, he reached a place called Maiden's Peak. Unsure whether the talking Gastly was still there, he spent an entire night by the Maiden's Rock, only to find nothing. Deeply disappointed, he had no desire to linger at Maiden's Peak and headed straight for Lavender Town, the last place Gastly might have gone.
Lavender Town was commonly known as a ghost town because Pokémon Tower stood in its northeastern corner, a favorite haunt of Ghost-type Pokémon. No one knew how long the tower had existed. All anyone knew was that it had been there since Lavender Town itself was founded.
After day upon day of walking, Liu Qing finally arrived in Lavender Town at noon more than ten days later. He handed his Pokémon, exhausted from all the battles along the way, to Nurse Joy, then asked her about the town's Ghost-type Pokémon. Guessing what he was after, Nurse Joy told him everything she knew before adding, "But I'd advise you not to get your hopes up. I think I know which Gastly you're looking for, but its illusions are incredibly powerful. Even the Gengar in Pokémon Tower don't want to provoke it. It often gives Pokémon Trainers hoping to catch Ghost-type Pokémon such a fright that they come fleeing back in a sorry state."
"Oh, really?" Liu Qing was delighted to hear that and hurriedly asked, "Nurse Joy, do you know exactly where that Gastly is?"
"I've heard those Pokémon Trainers mention it. Apparently, it's in the Nether Forest outside Lavender Town. If you want to go, you'd best wait until midnight. That's when Gastly is most active," Nurse Joy said.
After thanking her, Liu Qing took his fully recovered Pokémon back from Nurse Joy and began preparing for the capture battle that night. His opponent was a Pokémon that had lived for two thousand years, after all. Who knew what other powerful moves it possessed besides the illusions it had displayed? Ground-type, Ghost-type, Dark-type, and Psychic-type moves were the most effective against Gastly. With that in mind, Liu Qing soon settled on a plan and confidently waited for midnight.
At midnight, Liu Qing ventured into the Nether Forest outside Lavender Town alone with Chansey. The forest certainly lived up to its name. Even setting aside the Ghost-type Pokémon that might lurk within, the towering, strangely shaped trees were unsettling enough. The entire forest gleamed coldly under the moonlight, with chilling gusts sweeping through it. There was not a sound, yet faint, agonized howls seemed to drift through the air, making his skin crawl.
"Damn it, why does this feel even scarier than watching horror movies in my previous life?" Liu Qing swallowed hard. The deeper he walked, the more frightened he became. If he had not known that Ghost-type Pokémon were behind it all, he might already have been scared to death. Suddenly, he felt something like a breath against his neck. His blood seemed to freeze, and a shudder ran through him. He looked around and, after making sure no one was there, continued deeper into the forest with Chansey. Unbeknownst to him, a figure appeared where he had just stood, grinning wickedly before vanishing again.
"Huh? What was that?" Suddenly, a white figure flashed past Liu Qing's eyes, but when he looked again, it had disappeared.
"Damn it." Liu Qing clenched his fists, kept bolstering his courage, and forged ahead without looking back.
"Whoosh..." Another cold gust swept down Liu Qing's neck, sending a fresh shudder through him. He turned around but still saw nothing. When he turned back, however, a female ghost with disheveled hair, a deathly pale face, and an impossibly long tongue lunged at him.
"Whew, good, you finally showed yourself. It's when you stay hidden that you're really frightening." At the sight of the female ghost, Liu Qing actually stopped being afraid. He snapped, "Enough, Gastly. I'm here to catch you, so stop these tricks. I'm not going to be scared."
"Heh heh heh... How did you know it was me?" As soon as Liu Qing finished speaking, the female ghost vanished, replaced by a Haunter. It looked no different from an ordinary Haunter, and it was not a Gastly, but the moment it spoke, Liu Qing knew it was indeed the old ghost he was seeking.
"You're the reason I came here. Why wouldn't I do my research?" Liu Qing said.
"So that's it. If you want to catch me, we'll have to see whether you have what it takes," Haunter said. "If you can defeat me, I'll go with you."
"All right, then. Come out, Growlithe!" Liu Qing threw Growlithe's Poké Ball.
"Oh, interesting. But do you think this little puppy can beat me? Even with that Chansey beside you helping, it won't be enough." Having lived for countless years, Haunter spoke with great arrogance.
"Heh, that's not necessarily true. With Chansey helping, we might just beat you," Liu Qing said with a smile.
"Then let's see it. Take this first—Shadow Ball!" As Haunter spoke, it fired a purplish-black orb at Growlithe.
"Dig!" Liu Qing hurriedly shouted as he watched the Shadow Ball hurtle toward them.
Boom! Barely had Liu Qing's command left his mouth when the Shadow Ball slammed into the spot where Growlithe had been standing.
"Oh? Not bad. You actually dodged it." Haunter still looked perfectly relaxed. Then a multicolored glow spread outward as it used Confusion to locate Growlithe.
"Gravity Field!" At that moment, Haunter, which had been floating in midair, suddenly felt its body grow heavy and dropped to the ground. At the same time, Growlithe burst out of the earth and landed a direct hit on Haunter. It was super effective.
"Growlithe, Crunch!" Ignoring Haunter's wails, Growlithe bit down hard on it again. An even more agonized cry burst from Haunter's mouth. "That hurts! You wretched puppy, get off me!" As it screamed, its detached hands seized Growlithe's body, trying to pull it away.
But would Liu Qing give it that chance? Clearly not. At his command, Growlithe kept its jaws firmly clamped around Haunter and unleashed a Flamethrower from its mouth, engulfing Haunter. Then it curled its body and launched into a Flame Wheel, taking Haunter along with it.
The whole sequence happened incredibly fast, but it was also the old ghost's carelessness that had allowed the attacks to land. One mistake had cost it everything. By the time it wanted to take the battle seriously, Liu Qing was no longer giving it a chance. Amid the rumbling explosions, its anguished cries gradually weakened.
"Go, Dusk Ball!" Against an old ghost like this, Liu Qing could not trust an ordinary Poké Ball to succeed. He took out the Dusk Ball he had prepared and threw it at Haunter, which was still caught in the Flame Wheel. Upon contact, Haunter's body turned into a streak of black light and was drawn into the ball. The Dusk Ball then began shaking violently.
Unlike an ordinary Poké Ball, a Dusk Ball had a higher capture rate and was especially suited to catching Pokémon at night or inside caves. Even so, the ball kept shaking, as if Haunter might break free at any moment. From that alone, Liu Qing could guess that an ordinary Poké Ball might have let Haunter escape immediately.
Watching the shaking Dusk Ball and its flashing black light, Liu Qing felt his heart pound in time with the flashes and unconsciously held his breath. He had no idea how long it took, but at last, under his expectant gaze, the ball gave a click. The black light went out, and Haunter stopped struggling. Liu Qing let out a long breath, then felt so excited he wanted to shout. He picked up the Poké Ball, recalled Growlithe and Chansey, and quickly left the terrifying Nether Forest.
"Well, Haunter? I beat you, didn't I?" The next day, after collecting the recovered Haunter from Nurse Joy, Liu Qing let it out.
"Hmph. I was careless. I never expected you to have such an advanced Poké Ball. If it had been an ordinary one, you wouldn't have caught me, no matter how little strength I had left." Haunter sighed. "But I keep my word. Since you've caught me, I'll follow your commands. You don't need to worry about that." With that, Haunter returned to its Poké Ball on its own.
"Whew, good. I was really worried I'd caught someone I'd have to wait on hand and foot. Heh." Completely reassured at last, Liu Qing packed his things and left Lavender Town.
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