The Machop whose eyes were wrapped by Ditto-as-Gastly's Lick was unable to use Foresight. And Fighting-type moves had no effect on Ghost-types.
Once again subdued by Tetsuya, Raine found himself caught in a dilemma. Frozen in place, unable to act, and consumed by fear that only deepened further.
"Send them flying."
Tetsuya had no need to say much more to Raine. The fact that Raine still dared harbor ill intent toward him meant that his power had not yet been intimidating enough.
Ditto whipped its long tongue like a lash, hurling Machop straight into Raine. Both of them were sent crashing down the tower.
With that, Tetsuya picked up Gastly's Poké Ball and began heading downstairs.
Having suffered at Tetsuya's hands once, the Ghost-type Pokémon no longer dared to cause trouble. The descent was smooth and uneventful.
After returning to the first floor, Tetsuya checked the time. It was only two o'clock in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the time hadn't arrived yet, so he still couldn't leave.
Tetsuya sat down on the ground. Although the tower was filled with dust, for someone used to wilderness survival, it was already quite a decent place to rest. He wasn't picky.
Both he and Ditto had expended a lot of stamina, so he took out food from his backpack.
Tetsuya started gnawing on two pieces of bread. As always, Ditto's food was its usual milky liquid diet.
As for the Gastly species, there had long been a saying… Gastly typically use Lick to paralyze opponents, then Absorb their vitality. Some even enter people's dreams, scare them to death, and feed on their dreams.
Natural selection.
Survival of the fittest.
In ancient times, both between Pokémon and among humans, mutual hunting was common. It wasn't until the modern era, with the rise of researchers and breeders, that a variety of Pokémon foods, like Pokéblocks, and Poffins were developed.
These foods naturally tasted far better than those of "primitive times", so Pokémon that had entered human society abandoned their old habits and adapted to eating human-made Pokémon food.
The newly captured Gastly was already very weak. Tetsuya released it and applied some Potion.
"This will restore your condition."
Tetsuya placed an Oran Berry in front of Gastly.
Gastly took a cautious bite, chewed it for a second, then made a deeply pained expression and immediately spat the Oran Berry out.
"Not eating Oran Berries? Then try milk."
That too?
"…Serves you right for being so weak."
Tetsuya gave Gastly a glare and recalled it into the Poké Ball.
Picky eater. In the wild, it would have starved to death long ago. For the sake of survival, when on the brink of death, even wild vegetables and tree leaves were enough to fill one's belly. Same goes for Pokémon and people.
Looks like he'd have to find food suitable for Gastly's taste after leaving. If not for Matsuba covering food and lodging, this would be another heavy expense.
Just as he was fretting over that, Tetsuya suddenly heard a startled shout.
It came from the western gate.
Following the sound, Tetsuya walked over and saw the other two candidates flailing their limbs around, performing ridiculous and embarrassing motions…
The two had known each other before and originally planned to team up. Unexpectedly, both had gotten stuck here.
A group of Gastly and Haunter circled around the two of them.
Tetsuya was speechless. From morning until now, they still hadn't escaped the illusions cast by the Gastly. What a lack of mental clarity.
He had no intention of getting involved and turned to leave.
…Then a thought crossed his mind. 'That emo kid Raine actually tried to make a move on me. Now that I've caught a Gastly, with my battle awareness, I practically have "Victini" in the bag. I might as well help these two catch one too. If Raine ends up failing to catch a Pokémon and gets eliminated, he'll have no one to blame but himself.'
Tetsuya let out a cold laugh. "Ditto, Transform into Machop and use Foresight."
Ditto had already mastered the move. After transforming into Machop, its eyes flashed brightly, and a group of Gastly instantly had their forms revealed.
The two boys came to their senses, still dazed.
Tetsuya ignored them completely. The Machop-form Ditto used Karate Chop to swiftly take down two Gastly.
"If you don't want to be eliminated, hurry up and catch them."
Tetsuya said this and then headed back toward his own eastern gate.
Only then did the two boys realize Tetsuya had helped them. They quickly threw their Poké Balls and caught the two Gastly.
What Tetsuya didn't know was that his actions had unknowingly pushed these two down the path to death…
The bell struck five o'clock.
Tetsuya and the other three exited the Bell Tower one after another. Matsuba was already waiting for them.
Seeing all four come out looking energized, Matsuba nodded in satisfaction.
"Well, did you all catch a Ghost-type Pokémon?"
The four of them nodded.
"Alright then, bring out the Pokémon you caught so I can take a look!"
At Matsuba's instruction, the four of them released their Ghost-type Pokémon.
"These two Gastly were just recently hatched, but it's already good that you were able to catch something in there. Keep up the good work," Matsuba said to the other two semifinalists.
"Hmm… This Duskull has pretty decent potential."
Raine had caught a Duskull. Tetsuya wasn't too surprised. Although Raine had taken a hit earlier, his strength was undeniable.
It was just that helping those two had been a bit excessive.
"This Gastly seems a bit… listless," Matsuba said, examining the one Tetsuya had caught. 'I don't think I've seen this Gastly before. It must have just recently moved into the Bell Tower.'
Seeing all four candidates succeed in capturing a Ghost-type made Matsuba feel proud. As the Gym Leader of Ecruteak City, producing more outstanding Pokémon Trainers was an honor in itself.
"Alright. Since you've all caught your Pokémon, the fourth round of the competition will continue at 9 a.m. tomorrow. It's getting late now, so head back and rest."
---◓---
Another day of competition at Ecruteak Gym. Tetsuya believed he had done something foolish today, but it was ultimately harmless; a fleeting thought in his mind.
A person must keep moving forward. There isn't much time to waste on regret.
After dinner, Tetsuya and Ditto headed to a shop that sold Pokémon food.
"Do you have food that Gastly loves best?"
"Of course, of course~ Our city is famous for raising Ghost-type Pokémon, so we've got no shortage of Ghost-type food. There are five grades, and this first-"
The shop clerk was about to launch into a long-winded sales pitch.
"No need. Can I get a sample?"
Tetsuya didn't want to waste money. This Gastly had such a picky mouth, if it didn't like the food, he'd have to buy it all over again.
"…Samples?"
Hearing that word, the salesclerk was clearly a bit unhappy, but for the sake of business, he still brought out a sample of each of the five grades.
"Come out, Gastly. Try all five."
After being released, Gastly tasted each of the five Pokémon foods in turn, only to pull a pained face and spit out every single one.
The salesclerk's face turned red and blue in turn, his earlier bragging utterly crushed.
Tetsuya was exasperated. It seemed he would have to give up on this Gastly.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the shop. With a whoosh, Gastly shot out the door…