Tetsuya was already pacing somewhat anxiously on the spot.
Suddenly, Gastly and Dusclops appeared right in front of him.
Even someone like Tetsuya, who had seen his share of the world, was startled.
"Then… how did it go? Did you succeed!?" Expectation filled Tetsuya's eyes, his heart in his throat.
Dusclops opened its hands. In the palm of its right hand was a purple Poké Ball.
"That's the one! Good job, both of you. Let's go… on to the next location."
Tetsuya mounted his Bicycle and rushed toward the forest in the direction of Olivine City.
After riding for nearly an hour, he found a secluded, spacious area within the forest. He turned on his flashlight, giving them just a bit of light.
Gastly and Dusclops were still beside him.
"Come out, Swinub."
Tetsuya threw out the Poké Ball Pryce had given him. After being released, Swinub shook itself off and looked at Tetsuya.
"Swinub, in a moment an Arbok will appear. Freeze both its head and tail."
Swinub nodded and focused.
Once everything was ready, Tetsuya tossed the Poké Ball far away. It didn't stop until it hit a tree. A flash of white light emerged.
Sure enough, it was the shiny Arbok. Only now did Tetsuya fully relax. Although Pokémon naturally had the ability to sense one another, and there was no doubt Gastly and Dusclops had brought back the right Poké Ball, verifying it had become a kind of professional reflex for Tetsuya.
The released Arbok looked around in confusion, completely unaware of where it was or what had happened.
"Swinub, Ice Beam."
It was because he had Swinub that Tetsuya dared go this far with Koga. Otherwise, even if he had managed to steal the Poké Ball, he wouldn't have dared to release Arbok. Neither Gastly nor Ditto could subdue it.
The moment Tetsuya spoke, a crystal-clear beam of light shot out. Still dazed, Arbok's entire head was instantly frozen.
Now Arbok realized it was in danger, but Swinub's ice was thick and solid; there was no way for Arbok to break free. Its tail started thrashing wildly.
Tetsuya couldn't let it go on rampaging like that. The more evidence it left behind, the more danger he'd be in.
"Swinub, freeze everything below its hood."
Swinub had fought alongside Pryce for years and knew opponents like Arbok inside and out. As long as the head and the area below the "hood" were immobilized, its whole body would be rendered useless.
Another Ice Beam. You really couldn't deny the power of high-level Pokémon, the freeze landed with perfect precision. Everything below Arbok's hood was sealed.
Now, under the darkness of night, Arbok was locked tight in ice. Its brain was probably already frozen stiff. That was fine, less pain in death…
"Gastly, it's your turn. Drain every last drop from that Poison Gland. That should be enough for your Evolution," Tetsuya said.
Gastly understood the next step very well.
It launched a Shadow Ball at the hood. One Shadow Ball wasn't enough to break through Arbok's body. It took three consecutive blasts to finally rupture the Arbok's thick skin.
Tetsuya sighed with regret. 'Such a powerful Pokémon…' wasted by his own hand. If it weren't for Tōkichi's influence and the League's investigations, he would've tamed this Arbok for himself without a second thought!
Gastly had already torn into Arbok's Poison Gland. The only part of Arbok not frozen now twitched briefly.
The poison was first absorbed by Gastly in large, heavy gulps, then gradually slowed… until the final drop of poison was taken in.
By now, the energy inside Gastly's body was churning. The purple on its face had become even more vivid.
Of course, Tetsuya wouldn't waste any time. Ditto, still in its Dusclops form.
"Use Will-O-Wisp to burn Arbok to ashes."
In an instant, Arbok was engulfed in ghostly blue flames.
The energy surging through Gastly intensified further, until a blinding white light lit up the dark forest.
The glow of Evolution gradually faded…
Haunter!
A dark purple Ghost-type Pokémon with a round body, bearing a pair of disembodied hands. Each hand had three floating fingers that drifted before it like wandering spirits. On either side of its face were three jagged, spike-like protrusions, resembling tufts of wild, suspended hair. Its eyes were triangular and white, and its mouth revealed several sharp purple fangs… even its eyeballs and mouth glowed with poisonous purple.
Upon completing its Evolution, Haunter immediately exhaled a burst of purple smoke from its mouth.
What was that?
Clear Smog.
The intense poison had actually triggered Haunter's Egg Move: Clear Smog.
This was a completely unexpected surprise. Even now, Tetsuya could hardly contain his excitement. In the three months since his rebirth, he had paid a huge price, and finally, Gastly had evolved. And not only that, Haunter had learned the highly practical move, Clear Smog.
While the raw power of Clear Smog wasn't high, its effect was invaluable: it would reset the opponent's stat changes.
In high-level battles, Trainers always sought to raise their Pokémon's stats to the limit. So moves like Swords Dance, Dragon Dance, Bulk Up, Quiver Dance, and Iron Defense were incredibly common. If an opponent managed to max out their stats, they could sweep through an entire team.
But with Clear Smog, all those boosts became meaningless. Once shrouded by the poisonous smoke, all enhanced energy would vanish, making it the natural counter to any boosting strategy.
"Tehahaha! Congratulations, Haunter."
Now, the stronger Haunter became, the stronger Tetsuya's own power would be. Once the summer solstice arrived, he could form a Bond-type Shadow Contract with Haunter. Then Haunter would become part of his shadow.
A personal bodyguard at all times!
Though this year's summer solstice had already passed, it didn't mean Haunter couldn't first get used to staying inside his shadow.
"Haunter, from now on, like Ditto, you don't need to stay in a Poké Ball. Just hide in my shadow. Come out to fight when I call you."
As soon as Tetsuya finished speaking, Haunter vanished into the night.
Haunter was now beneath him, hidden in his shadow. But for now, it was only a temporary lodging, it hadn't fully merged with his shadow, and couldn't yet fight in sync with him.
Tetsuya recalled Haunter's Poké Ball. At this point, he couldn't guarantee Haunter's complete loyalty.
According to Matsuba IV, "[Ghostly Flame]" was the nemesis of all Ghost-type Pokémon. If he couldn't be sure of Haunter's absolute obedience, then he would need to wait until he had obtained [Ghostly Flame] before establishing a Shadow Contract. After all, this was a life-binding contract… without control, he couldn't afford to take the risk!
Within the Will-O-Wisp flames, Arbok and its Poké Ball were burned to ash. A breeze carried the remains away, leaving no trace.
Tetsuya mounted his Bicycle and headed back toward Ecruteak Gym…