The moment Night Shade activated, Gengar turned into a terrifying shadow and rushed toward Charizard.
It seemed that Charizard's earlier attack had hurt it badly, and now Gengar's first target was Charizard.
"Chansey, use Dazzling Gleam!"
As the ghostly shadow collided with the flames, fire spread and engulfed Gengar.
Seizing the chance, Nurse Joy quickly ordered Chansey to attack.
A dazzling beam of light shot out, and under the combined assault, Gengar's Night Shade was shattered.
"Charizard, use Fire Blast!"
The instant Gengar's form reappeared, Charizard launched another attack.
A burning fiery kanji shot forward, giving Gengar no chance to breathe.
Light gathered again as Chansey prepared to strike.
Gengar didn't dodge. Its eyes glowed brighter as Night Shade was unleashed once more.
This time, however, the shadow it formed was far darker and filled with a sinister energy.
Swinging its claws, it shattered Charizard's Fire Blast instantly.
Though shocked by Gengar's sudden burst of power, Nurse Joy reacted quickly and had Chansey attack again.
The light beam surged forward, but Gengar's shadow easily blocked it.
Opening its mouth wide, Gengar released Dark Pulse, firing straight at Charizard.
Charizard's flames roared again as it used Fire Blast, but just like before, its attack was broken apart by Gengar's offense.
Sylveon wasn't idle either. It used Hyper Voice, trying to stop Gengar's relentless assault.
Watching closely, Gu Yuan could tell something was wrong with Gengar's state, but there was no time to think. He had to get through this battle first.
"Sylveon, use Helping Hand on Charizard."
"Charizard, use Fire Blast, then follow up with Flame Charge to speed up and fly above Gengar."
Right now, Gu Yuan didn't have time to speak with Nurse Joy. All his focus was on Gengar.
The glowing light from Helping Hand surrounded Charizard, boosting its Fire Blast even more.
Under the intense heat, Gengar's expression turned serious.
It swung both claws, blocking the fiery blast.
Then Sylveon used Hyper Voice again.
Under the two-pronged attack, the power of the shadow began to fade.
Seeing an opening, Nurse Joy quickly ordered Chansey to strike.
But Gengar countered with another Dark Pulse, crushing Chansey's attack once more.
As its opponents' efforts kept failing, Gengar grew more furious. The red light in its eyes burned brighter, like two lanterns in the night.
A moment later, Ghost-type energy surged as Gengar's body began to expand like a balloon.
Gu Yuan wasn't sure if this was still Night Shade, but its power was clearly stronger than before.
With claws swinging, Gengar's goal was obvious. It wanted Charizard.
"Raaaargh!"
Letting out a furious roar, Gengar charged again.
With Helping Hand supporting it and two boosts from Flame Charge, Charizard's speed soared.
It launched another Fire Blast, engulfing Gengar in blazing heat.
But with a sweep of its claws, Gengar shattered the flames. Then Sylveon's Hyper Voice came crashing in.
Nurse Joy's Chansey wasn't idle either. It fired another Dazzling Gleam, joining Sylveon for a second wave of attacks.
Taking advantage of this moment, Charizard used Fire Blast once again. The attacks connected seamlessly, trapping Gengar in place.
Gu Yuan quickly realized Gengar's weakness. Despite its incredible strength, it couldn't fully control its power.
The reason was simple. Its strength had increased too fast, and it couldn't handle it.
Noting this, Gu Yuan decided he would investigate the cause later.
Although it was far stronger than them, Gengar's inability to finish the fight made it even more unstable. Its shadowy form began flickering.
"Now! Attack together!"
The moment Gengar showed an opening, Gu Yuan shouted the command.
Charizard and Sylveon attacked in unison, while Nurse Joy reacted instantly.
The blazing Fire Blast, Hyper Voice, and Dazzling Gleam struck the shadow at the same time.
The sudden strike made Gengar lose control. Its shadow shattered, and the red glow in its eyes dimmed.
Just then, Officer Jenny arrived with reinforcements. Her Senior Rank Arcanine charged in ahead of the others.
Sensing danger, Gengar's red eyes gradually returned to normal.
It fired several Dark Pulse attacks in a row, forcing Charizard and the others to stop their assault.
Using that opening, Gengar vanished, escaping into the darkness.
Although Gu Yuan could sense its position, he didn't chase after it. Given its strange behavior, he preferred to figure out what was going on first.
After witnessing his performance and hearing Nurse Joy's praise, Officer Jenny began to respect Gu Yuan's strength. She even asked him to help again if Gengar appeared in the next few days.
Gu Yuan agreed easily, mostly because he wanted to know what had caused Gengar's change.
Back in his room, he began studying the files again. As he flipped the documents, he unexpectedly found an entry explaining the situation.
"So that's it."
After reading, Gu Yuan finally understood.
Ghost-type Pokémon were no less mysterious than Psychic-types, and they could even hide within shadows.
As assassins, they were every bit as deadly as Psychic-types.
But very few Trainers used Ghost-types.
One reason was that there weren't many Ghost Pokémon. The other was that they came with great risk.
Ghost Pokémon possessed a unique ability: they could absorb the life force of living beings.
The most famous example was Chandelure, which burned the spirits of others as fuel.
The longer it burned, the greater the damage to its victims, until their souls were completely consumed.
During that process, Chandelure gained immense power, but that strength was difficult to control.
And it wasn't just Chandelure. Many other Ghost-type Pokémon had similar abilities.
The problem was that if they strengthened themselves this way, Ghost-types could easily lose control and go berserk. When that happened, they became stronger but at the cost of their own lives.
This was why many Trainers who could capture Ghost-types chose not to.
Even after reading that, Gu Yuan didn't abandon his plan to evolve Mankey into Annihilape.
Ghost-types were dangerous, but as long as the Trainer was strong enough, such incidents wouldn't happen.
Avoiding power because it was too risky, that wasn't Gu Yuan's style.
Before anything else, though, he decided to warn Nurse Joy. Otherwise, that Gengar could cause real trouble soon.