"Gengar..."
Gengar explained that this was something the older Gengar in the Gym had told it. In addition, as Ghost-type Pokémon grew, they would not only awaken new moves but also gain access to inherited memories of their species.
Because Ghost-type Pokémon were born in the spirit world, the roots of every Ghost-type Pokémon in the human world traced back to the spirit world.
Many Ghost-type Pokémon had come from the spirit world to the human world and then found themselves unable to return, so they had stayed here permanently. If they were lucky, they might one day encounter the spirit world's gate opening again and get a chance to go back. If they weren't so lucky, they could only remain in the human world forever.
"Isn't there any way to freely enter and leave the spirit world?" Gary asked.
"Gengar!"
"Lamp!"
Both Gengar and Lampent said there was one exception—the souls of dead creatures could enter the spirit world.
"So Ghost-type Pokémon can't enter, but souls can? Does that mean souls can enter the spirit world freely?" Gary asked.
"Gengar!!"
"Lamp!"
Gengar and Lampent both shook their heads in unison, indicating that even that wasn't possible.
"Then there's no other choice. But if you come with me, I'll take good care of you," Gary said.
Lampent got the distinct feeling of being sold empty promises. This was exactly how it used to bait the Litwick along.
"Lamp."
Lampent nodded. It couldn't return to the spirit world now anyway, and following Gary at least offered some guarantee of a decent life.
The key point was that it couldn't beat Gary's Pokémon. It couldn't run away even if it tried, so all it could do was wait for the right opportunity.
"Then let's evolve."
Seeing that Lampent had come around, Gary took out the Premium Dusk Stone and handed it over.
"Lamp!"
Lampent was still eagerly anticipating evolution and no longer had any complicated feelings about it, so it accepted the Dusk Stone.
The moment it touched the Dusk Stone, an incandescent evolutionary light burst out across Lampent's body.
Lampent's form began shifting toward a chandelier. When the light of evolution faded, a Chandelure that resembled an actual chandelier had taken Lampent's place.
"Chan!"
Chandelure felt that it had become much stronger, and its favorability toward Gary suddenly increased.
Gary then used an Ability Expansion Stone on Chandelure.
[Ding! Ability Expansion Stone used successfully.]
Chandelure immediately gained two additional Abilities.
Gary then used Ability Enhancement Fossils to strengthen Flame Body and Infiltrator.
[Ability 2: EX Flame Body (When the opponent uses a contact-type move to attack this Pokémon, there is a 60% chance of inflicting a burn. Additionally, when this Pokémon is used to incubate an Egg, the hatching cycle is reduced by half, and the hatched Pokémon's potential is raised by 1 tier. Only effective for Pokémon with Elite potential or below.)]
[Ability 3: EX Infiltrator (This Pokémon ignores the effects of Reflect, Light Screen, Safeguard, Mist, Substitute, Aurora Veil, and Protect.)]
"Whoa... EX Flame Body has an incredibly powerful breeding function."
Although it was only effective on Pokémon below Elite potential, any egg it hatched would have its potential raised by one level. That was basically a must-have ability for breeders.
Anyone with an EX Flame Body Pokémon could open a breeding house immediately and grow into a major operation within just a few years.
EX Infiltrator was already extremely strong, and now it could ignore even Protect. That meant Chandelure could break through any defense short of Max Guard.
With three fully raised Pokémon, Gary could confidently challenge the Gym.
"Tomorrow I'll use you to challenge the Gym so we can see your current strength," Gary said.
"Chan."
Chandelure nodded. It was also curious about its current strength. Especially after evolving, it had realized that it had awakened a whole set of new moves—only later discovering that all those moves had been taught to it by Gary himself.
"Let's go."
Gary recalled Chandelure and Gengar into their Poké Balls, left the villa, and had Togekiss carry him north toward Nimbasa City.
...
Nimbasa City.
Gary arrived in Nimbasa City before nightfall.
After sampling some of the local specialties, Gary spent the evening training Chandelure.
The size difference between Lampent and Chandelure was quite significant. Chandelure needed to familiarize itself with its new body in advance to be ready for tomorrow's Gym battle.
The Gym Leader of Nimbasa Gym was a girl named Elesa. She was also an internationally famous supermodel and specialized in Electric-type Pokémon.
After a full night's rest,
Gary woke up, had breakfast, and headed to Nimbasa Gym.
"It's really grand."
Aside from the Virbank Gym, both the Castelia Gym he had visited earlier and the Nimbasa Gym in front of him now had been built with magnificent designs. The two Gyms shared a similar architectural style, but the Nimbasa Gym incorporated more lightning-themed decor.
Gary walked up to the Gym's entrance, and the glass doors slid open automatically.
"Welcome!"
The moment Gary stepped inside, a young woman at the reception desk greeted him.
Gary approached the front desk and looked at the receptionist. She was very beautiful. Perhaps because Elesa was a supermodel, all the staff members at the Gym were women—every one of them young and stunning.
"Hello. My name is Gary, from the Kanto Region. I'm here to challenge Nimbasa Gym," Gary said.
"So you're a Trainer. Please wait a moment."
The receptionist immediately picked up the phone. After chatting for a while, she hung up and said to Gary, "The Gym Leader has agreed to battle you. Please follow me."
The receptionist led Gary over to a track beside the reception area. A car was mounted on the track—it looked exactly like a roller coaster from an amusement park.
Seeing this, Gary was suddenly reminded of Volkner's Gym, which also had roller coasters.
Why do Electric-type Gym Leaders like doing these kinds of things? They always feel the need to install some kind of machine in their Gyms. Elesa is a model, and yet she's into the same thing.
"Just sit down here, and it'll take you directly to the arena where the Gym Leader is waiting," the receptionist explained.
"Can I just walk instead?" Gary asked.
"Don't worry, it's very safe. There's a seatbelt too," the receptionist said.
Judging from her attitude, if he didn't sit, he wouldn't successfully make it to the Gym battle.
Left with no other choice, Gary had to climb into the roller coaster and fasten the seatbelt.
"Off we go!"
The receptionist pressed the start switch. The car surged forward, entering a dark tunnel ahead.
After passing through the dim passage, Gary emerged into a vividly colorful world. It was a hall filled with dazzling multicolored lights. The roller coaster followed the track and carried Gary on a full loop around the room before finally coming to a stop in a new chamber.
The new chamber wasn't large, but there was a stage in front of him. Because the lights weren't on, Gary could only faintly make out a figure standing on the stage. He could tell it was a woman because the moment he entered, he caught the scent of perfume.
The next second, three beams of light lit up the stage, fully revealing the figure standing on it. The person was none other than the Gym Leader of Nimbasa Gym—Elesa.