Chapter 34: Gastly

Hearing Misty’s scream, Xia You and the others hurriedly turned around, only to see the so-called ghost.

This apparition was identical in shape to the woman in the portrait. She floated in the air, her body transparent and blurry, drifting slowly toward them.

"I have missed you so much."

The soft words drifted from the ghost’s lips. While Xia You remained unaffected, Brock, standing beside him, was instantly captivated by her beautiful appearance, utterly spellbound.

"I have missed you too..." Brock murmured in a daze.

Looking at Xia You and Brock, the ghost whispered, "I have been waiting for your return."

As she spoke, a strange gust of wind suddenly whipped up. In the next second, the bodies of Xia You and Brock were caught helplessly by the wind, pulled toward her.

The suction was incredibly powerful. Xia You instinctively reached out, trying to grab onto something, but there was nothing around him to provide leverage. Just as he was pulled closer, a pair of slender hands suddenly grabbed him.

It was, naturally, Misty.

Seeing Xia You being dragged away, she could no longer afford to fear the ghost.

"You jerk, where exactly do you think you’re taking them!"

Misty clutched one of Xia You’s hands tightly, pulling backward with all her might. Though she was just a girl without great strength, no matter how hard the strange wind blew, she refused to let go.

Xia You realized that this ghost was actually a Gastly in disguise. With Misty’s help, he finally gained a moment to recover. He shouted to his two Pokémon, "Charmander, use Ember! Jolteon, use Thundershock!"

A flash of fire and a bolt of electricity flew toward the ghost almost simultaneously.

Struck by the attacks, the ghost could no longer maintain control over the strange wind. As it dodged, the suction dissipated, and Xia You and Brock tumbled from mid-air.

Misty subconsciously stepped forward to catch Xia You, but he ended up pinning her beneath him. As for Brock, he was not so lucky and crashed heavily onto the ground.

However, the fall was enough to snap Brock back to his senses.

"What happened?" he asked, looking around blankly. Ever since arriving at Maiden's Peak, his mind had been hazy, as if he were possessed.

On the other side, seeing its plans thwarted, the ghost’s tone shifted. It hissed viciously, "You annoying pests, stop getting in my way!"

Suddenly, a group of skeletons appeared, howling as they flew over everyone’s heads.

"Ah! What on earth are those?" Terrified by the horrific sight, Misty couldn't help but hide in Xia You’s arms.

Xia You stood up, and seeing that everyone seemed to have lost their fighting spirit, he shouted, "Don't be afraid, everyone! It’s just a Pokémon!"

He pulled out his Pokédex and aimed it at the ghost.

Pokédex: "Gastly, the Gas Pokémon. Ghost and Poison type. A Pokémon born from poisonous gas. Skilled at hypnosis and fond of pranks. It usually keeps its form hidden and can pass through any solid object, including walls."

"A Gastly!?"

Hearing that it was merely a Pokémon, Ash and Misty stared at it in astonishment.

"Hehehe, since you’ve figured it out, I have no choice!"

The woman grinned, her body beginning to shift. She transformed first into the old woman in the purple cloak, and finally into a 'black balloon' surrounded by purple smoke.

"Sometimes I am a legendary beauty, and other times I am a mysterious fortune teller! But my true form is—Gastly!!"

This black balloon was both Gastly’s body and its face; aside from a pair of sharp eyes, it had only a large mouth revealing two short fangs!

"It really is a Pokémon!?" Ash said excitedly. "Alright! Let’s battle it with Pokémon! Pikachu, go!"

"Pika, Pika!"

"You want to battle?" Gastly grinned. "I’m in a bit of a hurry, so let me finish you all off in one go!"

Following its words, ripples of energy emanated from Gastly’s body, surging toward the group.

Xia You recognized the move instantly: "Oh no! It’s Hypnosis!"

Before anyone could react, they were struck by the rays of the hypnotic wave. A wave of intense drowsiness washed over them, their eyelids growing heavier until they collapsed to the ground one by one.

"That was easy enough." Gastly surveyed the area, seeing the three humans and their Pokémon all fallen into a deep sleep. "Now, time to get to business!"

The strange wind returned, wrapping around Brock’s body. Just as Gastly turned its gaze toward Xia You, it suddenly saw a blue light flash at his waist, and a Pokémon appeared beside him.

With green hair and a silhouette like a young girl, it was Kirlia!

"Oh? You popped out of your Poké Ball on your own? What? Are you trying to help your trainer?" Gastly looked Kirlia over, then shook its head. "Too bad, though. You Psychic-type Pokémon are weak against my Ghost-type. You won't be a match for me, and everything you do is in vain!"

Kirlia knew that the typing was disadvantageous, so it did not attempt a direct attack. Instead, it used Psychic to open all of Xia You’s Poké Balls.

Instantly, blue lights flashed one after another, and all of Xia You’s Pokémon, including Zapdos, were released.

Gastly’s gaze swept over Kirlia, Zapdos, Ivysaur, and Squirtle, lingering for a long moment on the flopping Magikarp. It chuckled, "Four against one? I never expected this trainer to possess a Zapdos; he’s certainly not simple!"

Zapdos raised its head proudly, expressing both disdain for Gastly and perhaps a touch of irritation at being pointed out.

Looking at Gastly, perhaps intimidated by the sheer presence of the Legendary bird, it realized things had become tricky.

After a moment of hesitation, it said, "Forget it. Although I only have enough energy for one, since you are all so protective of your trainer, I’ll let him go and just take this one instead."

With that, it took Brock and left without looking back.

When Xia You woke up, he found himself lying on the ground, with Kirlia’s worried face right in front of him.

"How did you get out?"

Ruffling its hair, Xia You sat up and saw Ash, Misty, Charmander, Jolteon, and Pikachu all lying nearby, sleeping soundly. Only Brock was missing.

On the other side, he saw his other Pokémon, including Zapdos.

Even Zapdos had come out!?

Seeing this, Xia You pondered for a moment, and the full sequence of events became clear.