As the attacks whistled toward Gastly, that strange wind rose again, scattering every needle.
"What move is that?" Xia You asked curiously.
"Heh heh~" Gastly said smugly. "Over all these years, human speech isn't the only thing I've learned. I have plenty more abilities like this!"
As if showing off, Gastly then changed into a Jolteon!
"Seriously..." Xia You couldn't help protesting. "Aren't you so strong it's practically cheating?! And isn't Transform Ditto's ability? Why can you use it too?"
Gastly glanced at Kirlia. Perhaps Kirlia's earlier attempt to protect Xia You had earned him a little more approval.
Gastly reverted to the original form and said, "Actually, this is just Hypnosis. But my Hypnosis no longer needs to put anyone to sleep to affect the real world!"
Xia You frowned.
Could it really be that powerful?!
The wind brushing his cheeks felt clear and real. No matter how he looked at it, this didn't seem like something Hypnosis could accomplish.
Still, this Gastly was anything but ordinary. Normal rules clearly didn't apply.
"Jolteon, use Thunder Fang!"
Electricity crackled between Jolteon's sharp teeth as Jolteon lunged at Gastly with incredible speed.
But just as the attack was about to connect, Gastly's body vanished, as though scattered by the wind!
"Heh heh!"
When Gastly reappeared, Gastly had slipped unnoticed to Jolteon's side, then teasingly stretched out a long tongue and gave Jolteon a hefty lick.
Jolteon shuddered violently and tried to leap away, only to become paralyzed and unable to move.
"Ah, the taste of electricity."
Gastly laughed, formed another Shadow Ball, and fired it into Jolteon.
The hit knocked Jolteon out on the spot.
An instant knockout?
Was the gap in their levels just too large...?
After recalling Jolteon, Xia You looked down at Kirlia.
"You're up."
Kirlia nodded and stepped in front of Gastly.
"Planning to wear me down with one battle after another?" Gastly asked. "But surely you understand that Psychic-type Pokémon can't beat me."
"Of course I know that." Xia You took the remaining Poké Balls from behind his waist and threw them all onto the field. "That's why I never planned to have Kirlia fight alone. Everyone, attack together!"
Ivysaur, Squirtle, and Charmander appeared, joining Kirlia.
"Oh, so you're ganging up on me." Gastly curled a lip, though the tone was entirely unconcerned.
"Well, I don't have much choice," Xia You said with a smile. "That fight with Jolteon showed me just how strong you are. How could I possibly catch you using conventional methods?"
At Xia You's words, Gastly fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Why are you so determined to catch powerful Pokémon? Is entering the Pokémon League really that important to you?"
"How should I put it?" Xia You thought for a moment. "Life is full of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. The Pokémon League isn't everything in life, but it's both a dream and part of what I'm striving for. What about you? Don't you have a goal you want to pursue?"
"Dreams? Goals?" Gastly murmured.
As a Pokémon who enjoyed playing pranks, Gastly had spent all those years finding daily amusement in teasing others and having fun, never once considering such abstract questions.
Seeing Gastly lost in thought, Xia You's eyes lit up.
An opening!
"Kirlia, use Magical Leaf!"
At Xia You's command, leaves glowing green swept toward Gastly.
"Hey, hey! Isn't attacking me now a little underhanded?!"
Gastly hastily dodged the attack, but the words had barely left that mouth when a Water Gun shot in from the side.
"That's not underhanded. That's seizing the moment!" Xia You shouted. "Charmander, use Ember!"
The Water Gun grazed Gastly's body, and just as Gastly steadied, a wave of embers came rushing head-on.
"What's the difference?!" Gastly vanished, only to be caught off guard by a Razor Leaf attack upon reappearing.
Those successive hits left Gastly looking somewhat bedraggled and prompted a decision to stop holding back.
Rings of light radiated from Gastly's body, enveloping every Pokémon on the field.
Xia You's heart sank. He still had no way to counter that move, so he could only grit his teeth and shout, "Charmander, hurry! Use Smokescreen!"
A great cloud of black smoke poured from Charmander's mouth, instantly spreading across much of the field.
"Trying to obscure my vision with Smokescreen and lower Hypnosis's accuracy?" Gastly chuckled. "A good idea, but far too naive!"
Gastly concentrated. A second later, the waves of light visibly grew faster and more densely packed, turning from a targeted move into an area attack. In mere moments, all of Xia You's Pokémon had fallen asleep.
Now Xia You truly had no options left.
Gastly slowly floated upward and, looking down at the thick black smoke below, launched the final attack.
Clouds of pink gas flew from Xia You's Pokémon and flowed into Gastly's body. Then Gastly's eyes suddenly widened, and the Pokémon all collapsed as though struck by a mental attack.
Dream Eater activated!
Dream Eater was a Psychic-type attack that consumed dreams to deal substantial damage while restoring the user's health by half the damage inflicted on the opponent.
As the dark cloud slowly dispersed, Xia You looked at his fallen Pokémon, all completely unable to battle, and sighed deeply.
This Gastly was far, far stronger than others of the species. Even when facing Zapdos, Xia You had never felt as helpless as he did today.
He recalled them into their Poké Balls one by one and said dejectedly, "I lost."
Gastly slowly floated over to Xia You and studied him closely.
"No, you haven't lost yet."
Gastly looked at the Poké Ball containing Zapdos and smiled. "Don't you still have a Legendary Pokémon? How can you call this a loss? Besides, I've used up quite a bit of energy myself. Since you don't intend to send Zapdos out against me, why don't we call this battle a draw?"
"Huh?" Xia You froze, never expecting Gastly to say something like that.
Gastly continued, "Your character suits my tastes. Although I don't have any dreams of my own yet, I'd like to leave this place and travel around. And winning a Pokémon tournament and becoming champion certainly sounds like a good choice."
Xia You looked at Gastly, joy welling up inside him. "What do you mean?"
Gastly broke into a wide grin.
"I mean that you've earned my approval. Now, take out your Poké Ball. I'm willing to become your Pokémon and help you achieve your dream!"
Before you continue