"What a useless thing. Such a tiny Gastly." In the dim cave, a group of Gastly had gathered around a tiny Gastly in their midst. It was far too small, looking excessively undersized even among its own kind. Listening to their words, the little Gastly did not dare speak and could only huddle obediently in a corner, living with utmost caution.
The dim cave was not actually the Gastly's favorite place to live, but the Mass Grave outside was not somewhere weak Gastly could claim, so they could only survive in a place like this, with its faint Ghost-type energy. Even so, growing up successfully was no easy thing.
Gastly had never dared hope to grow up. It had been born frail, and with its consistently lowly position, even filling its belly was difficult. All Gastly could do was pray that its companions would grow up and evolve quickly, so that perhaps it could finally eat its fill.
Everything would have continued along this course, but one day, some humans came into the dim cave. Those strange creatures saw them and looked delighted. Then they released group after group of powerful Pokémon. Gastly tried desperately to hide at the very back. It did not want to be caught inside a strange little sphere like its companions.
But it was no use. It was found anyway.
"Oh my, such a tiny Gastly? And it looks so timid, too? Maybe it'll fetch a good price." The man leading them smiled at Gastly with a hint of amusement in his eyes. Gastly trembled, but it was still caught inside that little ball.
Life afterward did not go very smoothly. Gastly was of no use and showed nothing appealing. It began going unsold at auctions, and its treatment grew worse and worse. It finally