But—
Gengar didn't let the man with glasses sink into complete slumber. Instead, it clung to his back like a ghostly shadow, leaving him dazed and sluggish, trapped between waking and dreaming as if possessed.
The Gengar crouched on him, greedily draining his vital energy.
Through the power of Aura, Yozora could see the scene clearly—Gengar pulling out strands of the man's life energy, thick and glowing green like long noodles, and swallowing them mouthful by mouthful…
This particular Gengar, with its fat head and floppy ears, was clearly overnourished. Obviously, this wasn't the first time it had done something like this.
After all, Ghost-type Pokémon were never considered kind by nature. This was their way of survival.
A Ghost-type Pokémon could live for a very long time without eating or drinking. But then it would suffer malnutrition, making it harder to grow stronger.
For them, "nutrition" meant devouring the life energy of humans—or other Pokémon.
Of course, Ghost-types could also eat normal Pokémon food to supplement themselves. But that was slow, and required digestion.
It was nowhere near as fast as directly absorbing life energy.
And compared to ordinary food, life force itself was the ultimate delicacy.
Especially for wild Ghost-types without a Trainer's restraint—then they truly became lawless.
Still, Ghost-types rarely went as far as killing outright.
Perhaps they had their own bottom line. Or perhaps, they too understood the wisdom of "taking the long view."
"Tell me, how much money do you have in your account?" Yozora asked the man with glasses.
The man, half-asleep like a puppet, answered dully:"About… twenty-five million…"
"That much?" Yozora's eyes lit up.
Though he was completely hypnotized, the man still sounded faintly proud when he replied:"Of course. I often rob travelers. I've gathered quite a fortune. If only I had been more frugal… and stayed away from women… my savings would be even greater."
"Good. Then transfer it all to me, now." Yozora ordered.
"Uh… this…"
A flicker of resistance surfaced even in his daze. His brow furrowed."May I ask… who are you?"
"I'm just an ordinary person. But I need your help right now… Transfer it quickly. My account number is 10086…" Yozora softened his voice, calmly reciting a number.
"…Alright then." The man sighed faintly and began the transfer.
Moments later, Yozora received over twenty-five million.
But the longer Gengar fed, the paler the man's face became. Dark rings formed under his eyes, his body weakening visibly.
Fatty Gengar chomped greedily, its beady eyes glinting as it snuck glances at Yozora.
It knew that the moment Yozora said "stop," the feast would be over. So it seized every second, gulping down as much life energy as possible before the order came.
"Forget this ever happened. Remember this: your money has been donated to the Hope Foundation." Now that the money was in his hands, Yozora carefully tied off the loose ends.
"…Mm." The man nodded faintly, curling into himself and shivering."So cold… I'm so cold…"
Ghosts were, after all, the very embodiment of coldness.
Now that his vital energy had been drained away, his body could no longer resist the chill radiating from Gengar. Trembling violently, he looked pitiful.
"It's fine. Sleep now. And remember, from now on—be a good man…" Yozora snapped his fingers.
At once, Fatty Gengar released him. The man collapsed to the ground and fell into deep, dreamless sleep.
"Hissss!" Arbok suddenly stirred awake. Instead of fleeing, it slithered onto the man's body, wrapping protectively around him. Its hood flared, mouth gaping wide as it hissed threateningly at Yozora and Gengar.
So it seemed this Arbok was truly loyal. Evidently, the man hadn't treated it poorly.
Yozora chuckled softly, turned with Gengar, and left.
Chang'an City.
Arriving late at night, Yozora checked into a hotel and rested.
The next morning, he went straight to the Chang'an Gym.
The Gym Leader was an elderly man with narrow, smiling eyes, affectionately known as Elder Chang'an. His kindly expression gave off a gentle, approachable air.
Yozora stepped forward and explained his intent.
"A Gym Challenge, is it? No problem…" Elder Chang'an smiled warmly. With several disciples, he guided Yozora into the battle arena.
"Young man, before we begin, let me ask—how many badges do you currently hold?" Elder Chang'an's gaze shifted toward a nearby cabinet with six tiers.
On each tier sat six polished Poké Balls, gleaming brightly. Two standard Poké Balls at the front, two Great Balls in the middle, and two Ultra Balls at the back.
Clearly, each tier represented a different level of strength.
Even within the same tier, the gap between Pokémon could be vast.
By first asking about Yozora's badge count, Elder Chang'an could judge his level and then select an appropriate opponent.
"I have five badges so far. But my strength is more than that alone." Yozora replied seriously.
"Oh, is that so?"
Elder Chang'an chuckled lightly, not seeming overly convinced. He reached for the first Poké Ball on the third tier, pressed the button, and released a Persian.
Pokémon: PersianType: NormalLevel: Mid Senior-tierPotential: Senior
…
"At Chang'an Gym, the rules are six-on-six. During the match, challengers are free to switch Pokémon as they please. No objections, I trust?" Elder Chang'an asked pleasantly.
"None." Yozora nodded.
Elder Chang'an gave the referee a sign. The whistle blew.
"Chang'an Gym! Six-on-six Gym Challenge! Officially begins!"
The Gym Leader's first Pokémon was the Persian—clearly just a test to gauge Yozora's strength.
After all, with only five badges, Yozora didn't seem worth taking too seriously.
This year's Indigo League Conference had already been open for over seven months. The fastest, strongest Trainers had long since gathered all eight badges.
Some had chosen to return home and train quietly. Others continued their journeys, seeking more challenges.
If Yozora had eight or more badges already, Elder Chang'an might have paid him greater heed.
But as of now, he had only five…
In Elder Chang'an's eyes, Yozora's journey must have been slow and difficult.
"Young man," Elder Chang'an said kindly, "you may have only five badges, but time is still on your side. The Indigo League won't begin for another three months. So—I don't mind giving you a bit more tempering along the way…"
(End of Chapter)