Chapter 37: Gastly's Wish
By late afternoon, Gastly had used its oversized tongue to thoroughly Lick Arbok from head to tail. Sure, this was technically the "Lick" move. But Lu Ye couldn't help but suspect Gastly was actually drooling over Arbok's venom.
The paralysis effect triggered, leaving Arbok stiff and collapsed on the ground, its venom glands visibly shrinking. Lu Ye's expression was odd—he wanted to call Gastly off several times but hesitated each time.
Forget it... Interrupting someone mid-battle feels wrong.
On the other side, Xia Quan, a Poison-type elite Trainer, was utterly baffled. Gastly may be quadruple-resistant to Poison, sure. But Arbok shouldn't be getting so utterly dominated, right?
Who's the elite Trainer here anyway?!
"Hey, you brat!" Xia Quan gritted her teeth. "What does your family do for a living?"
"With a Gastly like that, do you even need to come to a battle club?"
Lu Ye sighed. "I'd like to know how I managed to raise it myself."
This shouldn't be happening. How could Gastly possibly overpower Arbok? Did something go wrong?
Seeing Lu Ye's sincere expression, Xia Quan couldn't lash out and begrudgingly recalled Arbok.
"Next time, don't bother coming to this club," Xia Quan sighed.
Lu Ye blinked. "Why not?"
"Didn't you see? My Arbok's practically been sucked dry!"
Arbok was severely weakened, and its toxins wouldn't recover anytime soon.
Feeling guilty, Lu Ye left the training area, muttering to himself: "Looks like Koga's not just dirty in tactics but dirty in training methods too... Tsk tsk, this Poison-type Elite Four is not someone I can associate with!"
By the end of the afternoon, Gastly hadn't yet mastered Toxic, but its adaptability to Poison-type moves had improved significantly. Meanwhile, the toxins absorbed from Arbok would strengthen Gastly's future Toxic power.
Although Lu Ye had merely observed the process, he still felt he'd played a critical role.
"Could it be... that I'm a training genius?" Lu Ye muttered.
"Gengaa!"
Lu Ye glanced at Gastly and noticed something was off. After absorbing Arbok's venom, Gastly's mist had turned a murky green, bubbling intermittently.
As Gastly floated upward, sloshing sounds came from its body. A few drops of venom dripped to the ground, sizzling as they corroded holes into the stone floor—
Gastly grinned sheepishly.
Lu Ye's face darkened. "Let's go to the Pokémon Center!"
"Gengaa?"
Before Gastly could react, it was recalled into its Poké Ball by a beam of red light.
The Pokémon Center wasn't far from the training grounds. Lu Ye rushed into the lobby, handed over Gastly's Poké Ball to the nurse, and bowed deeply.
"Please take care of it!"
The nurse smiled gently. "Don't worry. It'll only take about half an hour. Please have a seat."
Lu Ye nodded and sat on a bench, shivering. Wiping sweat from his brow, he nervously bit his nails.
Half an hour later, the emergency room's red light turned green. A doctor emerged, face stern, pulling down their mask. They looked at Lu Ye, who rushed over anxiously.
"In situations like this..."
"Doctor, is it serious?"
"This kind of situation..."
"Doctor, just say it!"
The doctor glared at Lu Ye.
"Your Gastly simply overate! I'll prescribe some digestive pills!"
"...Huh?"
A glossy Gastly floated out of the emergency room, shaking its head dramatically as a group of nurses giggled behind it.
"Gengaa!"
Gastly glared indignantly at Lu Ye.
Why'd you send me to the ER for no reason?!
Lu Ye let out a breath of relief and glared right back.
"You nearly scared me to death!"
After lounging for half an hour, Gastly's green tint had faded somewhat, but it still looked faintly discolored. The doctor explained, "Gastly had a mild rejection reaction from absorbing another Pokémon's toxins. It's nothing serious."
"Besides, your Gastly has quite the appetite."
The doctor smiled and gave Gastly a poke, only to stiffen and collapse instantly.
"Whoa, Doc, you okay?!"
"Haha, just kidding! I was a Trainer in my youth too..."
"Doc, you're foaming at the mouth..."
"These are minor issues! No problem at all, haha!"
With trembling hands, the doctor finally handed Lu Ye the medical report. This experience left Lu Ye with newfound respect for healthcare professionals in the Donghuang region.
Gastly's rejection reaction wouldn't last long, a day at most. Koga's Toxic Insights even mentioned such cases, offering clear explanations. But Lu Ye had panicked, fearing something serious and letting his concern get the better of him.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Lu Ye trudged down the street, tired, with a bewildered Gastly floating beside him.
"Don't push yourself anymore." Lu Ye's tone grew uncharacteristically stern.
"For me, no matter what—learning moves or becoming a Trainer—none of it matters more than you."
"Gengaa..."
Gastly's mood sank as it floated quietly beside Lu Ye. Initially, Lu Ye hadn't wanted to be a Trainer, mostly for his own reasons. He worried about his safety and didn't want to waste his money. But after spending so much time with Gastly, he began worrying about Gastly getting hurt instead.
Ever since the worldline changed, Lu Ye had been pondering: Do Pokémon genuinely accept training and want to battle? Or are they forced to fight at their Trainer's behest?
It wasn't that Lu Ye disapproved of the Trainer profession. But personally, he found no allure in becoming a Champion or even a Trainer. He just wanted to quietly enjoy a life shared with Pokémon.
"Alright." Lu Ye smiled softly. "Don't look so glum."
He reached into Gastly's mist and forcibly pulled the corners of its mouth upward. A faint numbness spread through his fingertips as Lu Ye grinned at Gastly.
"Smile for me."
"Gengaa~!"
Gastly's tears sprayed everywhere, but it still tried its best to grin widely.
What was Gastly's greatest desire? To repay Lu Ye. To travel with Lu Ye and see the world's highest peaks. No matter how battered and bruised it became, Gastly would fulfill Lu Ye's wish.
Even though its Trainer often seemed too busy. Gastly knew Lu Ye's ultimate dream was to become a Trainer. Why else would he spend so much time on battle strategy games? Surely, it was all part of his efforts to become a Trainer!
I'll give it my all!
As the sunset painted the horizon, the shadows of Lu Ye and Gastly stretched long on the road.
"I really don't want to be a Trainer..." Lu Ye murmured.
Gastly's eyes sparkled as it floated boldly down the street.
"Gengaa gengaa!" (I'll make sure you become a Trainer!)