Tetsuya's ruthless battle style forced Matsuba to abandon his posture as a "Master-type" and engage in a direct confrontation.
Even though Tetsuya was just a seven-year-old child, and his own pupil.
"Mismagius, Magical Leaf."
Facing the incoming Sludge Bomb, Mismagius was forced to give up using Perish Song. The energy within the gems on its chest surged, and shimmering green light formed before it, gradually taking the shape of leaves.
The Magical Leaf formed a vortex that shattered the Sludge Bomb and swept toward Gastly.
Seeing the Magical Leaf coming straight at him, Tetsuya knew Matsuba was now taking things seriously. He would soon be defeated.
Magical Leaf, once cast by Mismagius, was imbued with "auto-tracking magic". Gastly couldn't dodge it and could only try to block it with a move. However, Gastly still lacked the strength to resist such an attack.
"Shadow Ball, keep firing."
Although he could already predict the outcome, that didn't mean Tetsuya would give up. Gastly gave it everything it had, firing Shadow Balls while retreating.
"Phantom Force!"
As soon as Matsuba issued the command, Mismagius vanished into another dimension.
At this point, Tetsuya had no way to deal with the vanished Mismagius. Gastly was still struggling to handle the Magical Leaf and couldn't possibly fend off an incoming Phantom Force attack.
Matsuba quietly observed the situation without rushing to act. He wanted to see if Tetsuya still had any surprises in store. Crushing a rookie with overwhelming strength wouldn't fulfill the purpose of training.
After firing over ten Shadow Balls to finally neutralize the Magical Leaf, Gastly was visibly exhausted.
Tetsuya noticed that Mismagius still hadn't reappeared, realizing Matsuba was testing him.
"[Shadow Hypnosis]."
Back on the fifth floor of Brass Tower, Tetsuya had used Dark Pulse to resist Shuppet. But the level gap between Gastly and this Mismagius was far greater, and Mismagius's Special Defense was naturally high. Even Dark Pulse wouldn't do any real damage.
But Hypnosis was different. It ignored level gaps. As long as the hypnotic waves reached the opponent's eyes, their mind would be drawn in and inevitably fall asleep.
That way, Mismagius would be forced out of hiding. If it appeared anywhere near Gastly, it would naturally be affected by Hypnosis.
This was the first move Tetsuya had trained with Gastly after they began working together -[Shadow Hypnosis]- and Gastly now executed it with ease.
In an instant, a phantom veil spread out, engulfing Gastly. Waves of hypnotic energy rippled outward from the illusion.
Matsuba's astonishment was plain to see. Then he said, "Tetsuya, your battle instincts truly impress me. One day, your strength will surely surpass mine… But as your Leader, I must still teach you something today.
Mismagius, go!"
Suddenly, from within the dimensional space, countless ghostly blue flames shot out, instantly dissolving the power of Night Shade[1]¹. Surrounded by flames, Gastly had no chance to dodge. Though it instinctively used Dark Pulse to defend for a few seconds, it was quickly overwhelmed by the fire.
Tetsuya silently recalled Gastly.
So that really was Matsuba's main Mismagius. In his previous life, it had once made a spectacular showing in the 700th year of the League. Unfortunately, it was said to have died protecting Matsuba. A true shame…
The move Mismagius just used was also recorded in the Ghost-type tome compiled by Matsuba IV.
[Dimensional Mystical Fire].
Mismagius used Phantom Force to vanish into the dimensional space, then within that space executed Double Team to encircle the opponent. Combined with Mystical Fire launched directly from the dimension, it gave the illusion of being surrounded and scorched by fire out of nowhere.
This move not only disrupted the opponent but also delivered a surprise attack. Unless the opponent used Protect or expended energy to resist, there was no escaping it.
However, learning and mastering this move combination was extremely difficult.
A Pokémon couldn't remain in the dimensional space for long; no one really knew where such a mysterious space might lead if one stayed too long. Without years of training, it was impossible to maintain a presence in that space, let alone execute both Double Team and Mystical Fire, which consumed enormous mental energy.
Matsuba also recalled Mismagius.
He glanced at Tetsuya and said, "Train well at Ecruteak Gym. One day, I'll teach you all of this."
Tetsuya gave a slight nod, lifting his eyelids briefly.
Matsuba patted Tetsuya on the shoulder and said, "Elite Four Pryce is coming tomorrow. He may also assess the Gym's pupils. You and Morty will represent us. With young talents like you two, Ecruteak Gym truly has hope for the future.
Rest a bit. We'll continue training soon. You're the only one who can push me to the limits now."
'Push you to the limits… yeah, sure!' Tetsuya -the "seven-year-old kid"- thought.
"Mhmm."
---◓---
Throughout the entire day, Gastly and Ditto took turns sparring against Matsuba. But the gap in strength was too great, Tetsuya had no chance of gaining any advantage.
By evening, Tetsuya took Ditto and Gastly to the Pokémon Center for recovery and healing. As a Gym Pupil now, all of this could be reimbursed.
He received Ditto and Gastly back from Nurse Joy.
Tetsuya now needed them to understand the concept of true strength. After all, they'd been battling opponents like Raine for too long. Too many victories could easily lead to arrogance and numbness.
"So, today's battle should've shown you the gap in level."
Seeing Tetsuya's serious expression, both Gastly and Ditto silently lowered their heads.
"This is only the incomplete power of a Gym Leader… Above that, there are the Elite Four, Champions, and even stronger ones! Our journey has only just begun."
There was no need to say more. That was enough.
Ditto transformed once more into a wrist guard, wrapping around Tetsuya's right wrist. Gastly was returned to its Poké Ball.
He still had to make a trip to the Black Market tonight. With 24,500 Pokédollars left, hopefully he could find a decent Poison-type Pokémon.
Back when he stimulated Gastly's Poison Core, he had used toxins from two Swalot. The stimulus had been too strong, and now even more toxins were needed to push it toward evolution. That had put significant strain on Tetsuya's finances…
At the Black Market, Tetsuya searched for his next target.
This time, there wasn't even a single Weezing or Arbok in sight.
Only one Ariados remained…
Tetsuya hesitated. Maybe he could kill any Pokémon, or even a person!
But not Ariados.
That part of his passionate youth from his previous life should stay buried. Maybe every villain had a secret hidden deep within their heart…
Tetsuya avoided Ariados's gaze and quickly walked away.
The entire Black Market only had two Qwilfish left. Pokémon with extremely weak toxicity, and each was priced at 8,000 Pokédollars.
There was no reason to buy them. Their poison or toxin wasn't strong enough to push Gastly into evolution.
It looked like Gastly's evolution would have to wait.
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¹. Shadow Hypnosis = Night Shade + Hypnosis
[1] Shadow Hypnosis = Night Shade + Hypnosis