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Ethan recalled all Pokémon except Kirlia, then gently woke Misty and Ash.
Ash stretched widely, clearly having slept quite well. "Is it morning already?"
Misty rubbed her eyes, still groggy. "I think I just had a dream that we were attacked by a ghost."
Ethan gave a wry smile. "That wasn't a dream; it was real. And Brock has disappeared."
"What!?" Misty and Ash exclaimed, instantly wide awake. "He was taken!?"
Thinking back to the relevant anime plot, Ethan nodded. "But I don't think he's in any life-threatening danger. Regardless, let's find him as soon as possible."
The group looked at the wooden hut in front of them and cautiously went inside, only to find it empty. There was only a damp, decaying, moldy smell. Who knew how many years it had been standing.
Their footsteps on the floor produced an eerie creaking sound. Misty's head peeked out from behind Ethan, looking around fearfully.
"Huh? Brock isn't here?"
Ethan thought carefully for a moment, then told the two, "Come on, let's go back to Maiden's Peak Shrine!"
When they re-entered Maiden's Peak town, it was already past midnight. Stars twinkled in the night sky. The day's commotion had ceased, and the entire town was eerily quiet. The chilly air seeped through their clothes, making them shiver. The festival-goers had long dispersed, leaving only scattered trash, awaiting the morning's cleanup.
They arrived at Maiden's Peak Shrine, pushed open the door, and found Brock lying on the floor, unconscious. Aside from him, there was still no sign of Gastly. Ethan understood that, given Gastly's elusive movements, it would be very difficult to truly find it.
"Brock, wake up!"
Ash vigorously shook Brock. After a long time, Brock weakly stirred awake. Even then, he was still softly murmuring, "I really want to see her…"
Ethan quickly knelt down and checked his condition. "He has dark circles under his eyes, his clothes are disheveled, he's dispirited, and clearly looks a bit weaker than before. His stamina and vitality must have been drained too much!"
Compared to a naive kid like Ash, Misty, being a girl, had a more mature mindset. While she didn't fully understand such matters, she somewhat grasped what was happening. Her face red, she asked, "Did Gastly do this?"
"No," Ethan shook his head. "I think his energy was drained by the true ghost, and Gastly was merely her accomplice."
"The true ghost?" Misty asked in surprise. "Are you saying that woman is real?"
Ethan affirmed, "Of course. Otherwise, Gastly wouldn't have brought Brock to a place like this."
Misty then asked, "Then why would she do that?"
Ethan thought for a moment and speculated, "Having existed for two thousand years, even a ghost needs energy to sustain its existence. So, perhaps every year during the Summer Festival, she drains men's energy like this."
Seeing Misty about to ask more questions, Ethan quickly interjected, "Alright, no more questions. Let's quickly get Brock back to the Pokémon Center."
At the Pokémon Center.
After Nurse Joy's diagnosis confirmed that Brock was merely suffering from overexertion, everyone finally relaxed. However, no matter how much they asked what exactly had happened, Brock just looked bewildered, seemingly having no memory of anything after being captured by Gastly.
Placing him on the dorm bed and entrusting Ash with his care, Ethan left the Pokémon Center alone.
Despite how troublesome that Gastly was, Ethan had made up his mind to catch it. As a wild Gastly that had lived for an unknown number of years, its abilities were naturally very impressive. What's more, incredibly, it could also speak human language, just like Team Rocket's Meowth! On this point alone, simply catching it would make future communication with his Pokémon much easier. He wouldn't have to rely solely on intuition and guesswork to interact with them anymore.
But where was Gastly now?
It was two o'clock in the morning, and the night was at its deepest. Ethan looked left and right, finally deciding to rely on his intuition and head to Maiden's Rock on the seaside cliff first to try his luck. Following the mountain path out of town, he soon reached his destination. However, just like before, there was nothing there but the sound of waves and the salty sea breeze.
"Gastly, are you here!?"
Ethan shouted loudly. His voice echoed far, but there was no response.
"It's really not here?" Walking up to Maiden's Rock, Ethan murmured to himself, "Then it wouldn't matter if I destroyed this rock now, would it?"
"Hey, hey!" A voice suddenly came from behind him. "I can't pretend I didn't hear that!"
Ethan's face held a smile. He turned around and saw it was indeed Gastly.
"Gastly, let's have a decisive battle!"
"Oh?" Gastly said, its expression serious. "You want to catch me?"
Ethan took out a Poké Ball from his waist, enlarging it in his hand. "Of course. I'm aiming for the Indigo League Conference and looking for partners. Your abilities would surely be a powerful asset to me!"
Saying this, Ethan tossed the Poké Ball in his hand. When the red light flashed, what appeared before Gastly was a fully bristled Eevee—Jolteon!
"What the heck, it's a Jolteon!" Gastly's tone, while surprised, held more of a sense of relief.
Ethan asked, "Why? Are you surprised to see Jolteon?"
Gastly replied, "I thought you'd send out that Zapdos to deal with me. To be honest, if I had to face a legendary Pokémon like that, even I wouldn't stand a chance."
Ethan chuckled. You think I don't want to? But how could I tell you that I still can't fully command it yet!?
"Don't worry, even if Jolteon fails, I won't use Zapdos against you!" Ethan said, crossing his arms, feigning nonchalance. "Alright, enough talk. Let's start the battle! Jolteon, use Thunder Shock!"
Faint currents flickered around Jolteon's body, then converged into a bolt of electricity, flying towards Gastly. Seeing Jolteon launch its attack, a black energy ball suddenly formed beside Gastly, colliding with the electric bolt.
It was the Ghost-type move Shadow Ball! However, Thunder Shock's power was clearly inferior to Shadow Ball's. Shadow Ball pierced through Thunder Shock and continued flying towards Jolteon.
Ethan shouted, "Jolteon, quickly dodge! Then use Pin Missile!"
With its extreme speed, Jolteon easily dodged the Shadow Ball. It leaped aside, its fur bristling like steel needles, shooting wave after wave of them towards Gastly!
Ethan has confronted the elusive Gastly and challenged it to a battle! He's revealed his intent to catch it and use it as a valuable asset for his League challenge. He's also keeping his secret weapon, Zapdos, under wraps for now. The battle between Jolteon and Gastly has begun, with Jolteon's speed and Pin Missile against Gastly's elusive Ghost/Poison typing.
How will this battle against the mischievous Gastly unfold? Will Ethan succeed in catching this unique Pokémon?
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Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 55 on my patreon, go check it out
https://p4treon.com/roaverse
if you want more updates == supports with power stones
Every 10 Power Stones==Bonus Chapter