But her grandmother just laughed even harder, hobbling over to pat Kazuki on the shoulder. "Recovering fast is a good thing! The more rounds you go, the higher the chance of hitting the jackpot, you know!"
"Grandma!" Cassandra was so mortified she almost jumped up on the spot, frantically waving off her grandmother's words for fear Kazuki might hear.
"A-anyway… Kazuki, come on, let's head over to do a Pokémon battle!" she blurted out, cutting her grandmother short in panic. "I also want to check out your Pokémon!"
Without waiting for Kazuki to answer, she grabbed his arm. "Grandma, I'm going to go battle with your grandson-in-law now! Let's go!"
Kazuki politely bid farewell to Cassandra's grandmother, then followed Cassandra outside with Misty and Suzie tagging along.
As they left, the two girls recalled what had just been said and couldn't help giggling to themselves.
Cassandra ran a good distance before finally stopping in an open clearing. She let out a long breath, patting her chest in an effort to calm down.
"Whew… Grandma is unbelievable — she's even scarier than when she's pushing me to brew miracle potions!" Cassandra muttered under her breath, cheeks still pink.
"Let's battle right here! The field is nice and open!"
Misty nodded happily, pulling out a Poké Ball. "Okay! Let's get started!"
Cassandra also carefully drew a Poké Ball from her waist and gave it a gentle toss. "Come on out, Paras!"
With a flash of white light, a small Paras appeared on the field. As soon as it landed, it glanced around warily, visibly nervous.
Misty, seeing its timid look, quickly chose her own Pokémon with an excited smile. "All right! I'll go with this one! Go, Staryu!"
As soon as Staryu materialized, Paras shrank back, its neck retracting, and turned tail to hide in a distant clump of grass.
Misty froze, scratching her head. "Huh? What's up with that? Is my Staryu really that scary?"
Cassandra let out an awkward laugh, explaining, "Sorry, my Paras is extremely timid. It's never dared battle, so it hasn't had enough experience to evolve yet."
Misty finally understood, letting out an "Ah" of realization before recalling Staryu. Then she pulled out another Poké Ball. "Come on out, Psyduck!"
Psyduck appeared on the field with its usual wobbly gait, tilting its head in clueless confusion as it looked around, its dopey cuteness on full display.
But even after seeing Psyduck, Paras still refused to come out of the grass.
"Huh? This little guy's scared of Psyduck too?" Misty couldn't help complaining. "Seriously?"
Psyduck let out a confused "Psy?" and blinked blankly at Misty, completely clueless.
"If it won't battle, it won't gain any experience… I guess we'll have to coach it a bit."
Kazuki slowly walked toward Paras. "Let me try talking to it."
Kazuki began channeling his Aura Power, attempting to resonate with Paras's feelings.
"Kazuki, it's really timid, be careful," Cassandra tried to remind him, but before she could finish, Kazuki was already standing by Paras's side.
Cassandra's eyes went wide with surprise, and after a moment she sighed in wonder. "How is this possible? That's amazing!"
"My Paras is usually terrified even of Grandma!"
"This is Kazuki's first time meeting Paras, and he's already communicating with it?"
Kazuki's gift for nurturing Pokémon might really be something beyond her imagination.
"With Kazuki's help, I'm sure Paras will evolve smoothly!"
Cassandra nodded with a bright, trusting smile as she watched Kazuki's back.
Kazuki started praising Paras, hyping it up so much he practically made it sound like Paras could knock out Arceus with a single move.
Paras finally seemed to gain a little confidence, puffing itself up, crawling out of the grass, and slowly moving onto the open field.
Seeing that, Cassandra felt an emotional surge. "Is this… really my Paras?!"
Paras looked determined now, completely different from just moments ago.
"Kazuki! You're amazing! What exactly did you tell Paras? I've tried to encourage it so many times, but it never dared come out to battle!"
"Uh, well! Just a bit of simple motivational talk!" Kazuki laughed awkwardly, deciding not to reveal the rather… colorful language he'd actually used. He figured Cassandra might faint if she heard it.
After giving Paras one more round of encouragement, Kazuki then drew out the lowest-level Poké Ball in his party.
"Come on out, Dratini! Let Paras have some practice!"
With a flash of white light, Dratini elegantly appeared on the field.
The moment it showed up, Misty and Suzie couldn't help exclaiming in delight.
"Wow! It's Dratini again! It's so cute!"
Misty's eyes sparkled as she pleaded, "Kazuki, can you let Dratini stay out for a while after the battle?"
Cassandra was also amazed. "Kazuki, you even caught a Dratini?"
"That's one of the rarest Pokémon in all of Kanto!"
"I haven't heard of any sightings in ages!"
Kazuki shrugged modestly. "Just got lucky, that's all." There was no need to act overly humble in front of Cassandra.
Off to the side, Cassandra's grandmother, who had been quietly watching from afar, chuckled softly. "A Dratini, huh? Who'd have thought this kid, so young, could catch a Dratini already?"
"Maybe one day his achievements will rival those of the Flying-type Elite Four!"
Cassandra's grandmother, who had been about to leave, decided to stick around to watch the battle unfold.
Kazuki had already finished communicating with Dratini.
"Paras, don't be afraid. Go ahead and use your moves boldly!"
"Your potential is at least ten thousand!"
Paras glanced at Dratini, then looked back at Kazuki, and finally nodded, raising its claws and charging straight toward Dratini.
Once the battle began, Dratini carefully circled around Paras.
Paras was still a little tense at first, but under Kazuki's guidance, it gradually relaxed and found its rhythm.
It was Kazuki's first time commanding another person's Pokémon in a battle, which felt a bit strange.
After a few exchanges, Paras's confidence clearly grew. It was no longer so timid as before, but instead faced Dratini head-on, even starting to test out its own moves.
Cassandra's eyes were full of relief seeing Paras's progress. "Kazuki! Paras is using its moves!"
"You're incredible!"
At just the right moment, Kazuki gave Dratini a subtle signal, and Dratini dropped to the ground as planned.
When Paras saw that it had defeated Dratini, it immediately leapt up in excitement.
Kazuki smiled. "Nice job, Paras! You've made huge progress!"
"Keep up that momentum, because you'll be facing an even stronger opponent next!"
He then recalled Dratini back to Misty's side.
Step by step, Kazuki sent out the second strongest Pokémon he had prepared.
"Come on out, Gastly!"
As soon as Gastly appeared, a cold, eerie aura instantly spread across the battlefield.
Floating in midair, it let out a strange laugh, giving off a thoroughly mysterious vibe.
Kazuki cleared his throat — Gastly today seemed more interested in mischief than a proper fight. But just one word from Kazuki, and Gastly instantly understood, pulling back its ominous presence and cheerfully floating over toward Paras.
At that moment, however, Cassandra's grandmother, who had been secretly peeking from a distance, suddenly thumped her cane hard against the floor.
"Gastly! So this kid has a Gastly too! Hmph…"
Her expression turned dark, and a strange greenish vapor seemed to rise from her cane, as if she held some deep grudge against Gastly.
But she didn't attack or do anything more — she just watched coldly.
Kazuki, Suzie, and Misty continued helping Cassandra train her Paras.
Kazuki kept giving directions while observing Paras's improvement, while Suzie and Misty petted Dratini on the sidelines and cheered for Paras. The atmosphere was warm and friendly.
---
"Paras, now try using Spore!"
Paras reacted swiftly, releasing a cloud of tiny spores. At Kazuki's signal, Wartortle collapsed on cue.
"You did it, Paras!" Cassandra gave Paras one last bit of encouragement before returning it to its Poké Ball.
Then she ran over to Kazuki, her eyes full of gratitude. "Thank you, Kazuki. Paras has grown so much thanks to your guidance."
"It's already late. You all should go get some rest."
"I've prepared some medicinal food for you! It's delicious, too!"
"Delicious?" Misty's ears perked up at the word, and she immediately ran over in excitement.
The four of them laughed and chatted as they headed back.
Because yesterday's training had brought them closer, Cassandra didn't seem the least bit awkward about today's purification. In fact, she'd even dressed up carefully, which made quite an impression.
Since Kazuki was going to handle the detox session first, he waited in the room.
Creak — the door opened.
Kazuki looked up, and Cassandra's outfit instantly caught his eye.
She wore a short, white, cropped T-shirt that revealed her delicate collarbone and a smooth, flat stomach, giving off an unintentional but alluring sexiness.
Paired with that was a bright red ultra-short skirt, in stark contrast to the white top. The hem of the skirt stopped just at mid-thigh, showing off her long, shapely legs — if she moved a bit too much, even her panties might peek out.
Kazuki took a deep breath.
It was a good thing the medicine's effects would wear off soon, or else with Cassandra dressed like this, he might have lost control…
He chuckled and teased, "Cassandra, you look gorgeous today. Really sexy."
"Don't blame me later if there's any… accidental collisions."
Since their relationship had grown closer after last night's dinner, Kazuki dared to joke with her like that.
Cassandra blushed, lowering her head and murmuring softly, "You! If you have the strength for a collision later, then go ahead and collide…"
She only dared to tease him so boldly because she knew he'd be too weak to really act on it for now.
"Okay, enough joking," she continued, "mainly the detox steam gets really hot, so this is easier."
Kazuki nodded. Whatever Cassandra's true intention was, he had to admit her figure was stunning — and if he could appreciate it while soaking, why not?
The detox began, and today Cassandra seemed even more relaxed than before.
However, thanks to the ultra-short skirt, Kazuki could clearly see her thighs shifting and tensing unconsciously as she massaged his pressure points.
Kazuki didn't rush things — he knew he was still weak. He figured he'd wait for the final days to truly pursue her.
After the detox, Suzie helped tidy things up.
Once Kazuki was dressed again, Cassandra boldly sat beside him, her gaze occasionally lingering on his face, a flicker of complicated emotion in her eyes.
Just then, the pharmacy door was suddenly slammed open.
Cassandra's grandmother walked in, leaning on her cane, her already wrinkled face looking even sterner than usual.
Her cold gaze swept over Kazuki and Cassandra, finally settling on Kazuki.
"Kazuki," she called, her voice sharp.
"Grandma, Kazuki hasn't fully recovered his strength yet, could we wait a bit…"
Grandma slammed her cane on the floor with a loud crack. "Cassandra, have you been enjoying yourself too much these past two days?"
"Did you forget your goal?"
Her voice was icy and severe.
"You think dressing like that will help you… get a baby out of him?"
Cassandra sucked in a sharp breath, biting her lip, just about to argue back when Kazuki gently pressed down on her hand to stop her.
"If Grandma wants to talk to me alone, then let's talk."
"Besides, I've been resting too much these days — I could use a bit of activity."
His voice was calm and confident, unfazed by the sudden pressure from Cassandra's grandmother.
Misty looked worried and stood up as if she wanted to speak, but Kazuki waved her off.
"Relax! Listen to Cassandra and finish your detox."
"It's nothing serious! Maybe Grandma just wants to teach me some secret herbal techniques!"
Kazuki reassured Misty, then cracked his neck a bit.
"Let's go, Grandma."
With that, Kazuki followed Cassandra's grandmother out of the pharmacy.
Cassandra's grandmother walked steadily ahead, leaning on her cane, moving with a confidence and strength that didn't match her seventy or eighty years of age.
Kazuki followed behind, his gaze occasionally sweeping across the surroundings.
The forest air was damp, leaves rustling softly in the breeze, punctuated now and then by birdsong, lending the place an unusual stillness.
Yet Kazuki frowned slightly, an uneasy feeling prickling faintly in his heart.
"Aura Power… I definitely sensed something before, so why has it weakened as soon as we entered the mountains?"
Kazuki silently mulled it over, trying to extend his Aura Power again, but picked up nothing.
"This is off…" His inner alarm bells rang, and he unconsciously slowed his pace.
He secretly began channeling his Psychic Power, readying himself.
Cassandra's grandmother seemed to pick up on his subtle change. She paused, glancing back with a meaningful smirk. "What's wrong? Can't keep up?"
Kazuki shrugged, forcing a casual smile. "Grandma, these mountain trails of yours aren't easy to walk. My body's only just recovered — it's a bit much, to be honest."
"How about you just say whatever you wanted to say right here?"
Cassandra's grandmother snorted coldly, slamming her cane hard on the ground. "Cut the crap! Keep moving!"
Kazuki raised an eyebrow, his guard going up. What is this old witch really trying to pull?
Sure, he did think Cassandra was a great girl — but it's not like he'd made any big moves on her yet!
Healing, detox, that was normal enough — but now she wanted to test him in the mountains?
All right, let's see what you've got planned.
Kazuki quietly pulled out a shining talisman meant to summon old Gastly, layering on extra protection.
One behind the other, they kept moving deeper into the forest.
The further they went, the thicker the trees grew, making the path almost tunnel-like.
Though Kazuki's Aura Power didn't detect any living presence approaching, there was a strange, eerie energy pervading the air, and he noticed odd carvings on vines and stone slabs nearby.
Just as he was studying them, a mass of green toxic mist rushed straight at him.
Kazuki instantly summoned a dried shield with his Psychic Power to block the toxic cloud.
Looking up again, he saw Cassandra's grandmother had already floated up onto a branch, staring down at him with a cold, cryptic smile.
"Kazuki," she sneered, "you truly aren't an ordinary person."
Kazuki felt a chill in his heart but kept his expression steady. "Grandma, what exactly do you mean by that?"
"I'm just a passing Pokémon trainer — what could be so unusual about me?"
Cassandra's grandmother let out a harsh laugh, slamming her cane on the branch. "Don't play dumb! You think I wouldn't notice you using Psychic Power just now, just because the light's dim?"
Since she'd already seen through him, Kazuki clapped his hands and dropped the act.
"You old witch, your eyes really don't miss a thing!"
He glanced again at those strange runes all around, a teasing glint flashing in his eyes.
"So this is witchcraft you're using, huh? Didn't expect you'd have witchcraft skills too!"
Cassandra's grandmother scoffed, her gaze sharp with appraisal. "Your Psychic level is no joke! What's your connection to Sabrina of Saffron City?"
"Sabrina?" Kazuki chuckled. "Sabrina? Oh, her? She's my woman. What about it?"
Cassandra's grandmother snorted in disbelief. "Nonsense!"
"Sabrina won't even let her own parents near her, let alone any man!"
"Anyone who so much as looks at her sideways never makes it past her Gym — they get buried by her!"
Kazuki shrugged, completely unbothered. "If you don't believe me, can't help you."
"But, old witch, don't tell me you dragged me out here just to figure out how many women I have — so you can rank your granddaughter in the lineup?"
Cassandra's grandmother's face darkened, tapping her cane again in annoyance.
"Enough of that smooth talk! None of that matters! What matters is your Gastly!"
Kazuki lightly touched the Poké Ball at his waist. "Oh? What about my Gastly?"
"Your Gastly is beyond ordinary!" At the mention of Gastly, her voice carried a trace of suppressed anger.
"In this Kanto Region, there is an Elite Four who excels at using Ghost-type Pokémon!"
"Especially her Gengar — it's far beyond any normal Gengar in power!"
"Your Gastly shows the same kind of terrifying potential!"
"That's not something a beginner trainer could ever raise!"
"What is your connection to her?"
Kazuki's mind turned quickly — from her description, he instantly realized she meant Agatha, one of the Kanto Elite Four.
So this old witch must have some old grudge with Agatha!
Yesterday I only had Gastly spar with Paras for a bit — didn't even show its real power — and this old lady could tell from that distance how extraordinary Gastly was!
She must really know Ghost-types inside out.
But truthfully, he had no connection to Agatha at all!
Isn't this a bit paranoid, lady?
He laughed loudly. "Old witch, you have quite the imagination, don't you?"
"What, just because I have a Ghost-type Pokémon, that means I'm linked to her?"
"So what if I catch an Ice-type — does that make Lorelei my wife?"
"Is there really a perk like that?"
Cassandra's grandmother raised her cane and pointed straight at Kazuki.
"You sharp-tongued little brat! Whether you have a connection or not isn't up to you to say — I'll have to test it for myself!"
Before her words even faded, the tip of her cane began to glow green.
In an instant, the air around them turned icy cold, and a strange, eerie wave of energy rose from the ground as if to swallow Kazuki whole.
But Kazuki had been on guard all along. His Psychic Power burst forth, and with a flicker of movement, he dodged right out of the area of effect.
"Old witch, you really need more practice with that witchcraft!" Kazuki landed nimbly on a tree branch, a teasing grin at his lips.
"You think I can't see through those runes on the ground? That's a witch's array if I've ever seen one!"
Cassandra's grandmother let out a cold laugh. "Oh? Self-satisfied fool!"
Just then, the trees around Kazuki began to shake violently. Countless vines shot out from the ground and the trunks, growing wildly and lunging to entangle him!
Kazuki frowned, flashing from place to place with his Psychic Power, but no matter where he landed, more vines slithered up, as if they were alive and unwilling to let him go.
"This place… definitely has a problem!"
As he brushed against the vines, Kazuki's Aura Power responded — there was an actual living presence.
"Old witch, what on earth have you raised in here?"
"You sure this thing's even from this dimension?"
Cassandra's grandmother stood proudly on her branch, laughing as she watched Kazuki dart about.
"Little brat, weren't you so impressive before?"
"Aren't you the powerful trainer who even captured a Dratini?"
Kazuki felt a chill run through his heart.
No way… this whole mountain can't be a Pokémon, right?
Impossible!
Or maybe there are just a lot of individuals hidden here!
"If it's just numbers…"
"Old witch, you trying to turn this into a Pokémon battle royale?"
Kazuki sneered and threw out a Poké Ball.
"Go! Gastly!"
With a flash of white light, Gastly appeared beside him.
"Gastly, use Millennium Dark Pulse!"
At Kazuki's command, Gastly's face turned terrifying, thick purple smoke swirling around it.
As soon as the smoke hit the ground — BOOM! — it exploded in a shockwave that rolled over the vines.
The vines instantly shriveled and fell away like popped balloons.
"Ha! So they aren't witchcraft — they're alive! What do you think, old witch, eye-opening enough for you?"
Cassandra's grandmother chuckled low in her throat. "Not bad, really not bad! You actually forced me to show more of my tricks!"
"But looking at your Gastly, after using that move, I bet it can't keep fighting, right?"
She waved her cane again, and even more writhing vines surged out behind her.
Kazuki narrowed his eyes. "There's still more? Old witch, what exactly did you raise here?"
"Scared now, so-called Pokémon Master?"
"Oh, wow, praising me that much?" Kazuki laughed lightly. "All right then! If that's how you want to play, let's play!"
With the shining talisman to summon old Gastly and the ancient Dragonite as backup, Kazuki felt no fear at all in the face of this nightmarish scene.
Instead, he calmly drew another Poké Ball, ready to fight her properly.
"Old witch, since you love games so much, let's play a big one!"
"Go! Charizard!"
With a deafening roar, Charizard shot out of a burst of flames.
Its blazing fire looked even more dazzling in the gloom of the forest, as if it would burn the entire place to ash.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower — burn everything!"
At Kazuki's command, Charizard opened its huge jaws and unleashed a torrent of searing flames toward the vines!
BOOM! The flames instantly ignited the tangled vines, turning the whole forest into a sea of fire.
Cassandra's grandmother's face turned dark.
"You really have some guts, kid!"
"Ever heard of burn the mountain, rot in prison?"
"You're not worried Officer Jenny will haul you in?"
Kazuki laughed heartily. "Old witch, you don't have to worry about that!"
"Officer Jenny is one of my women too — it's just role-play for her!"
"Charizard! Keep burning!"
As Charizard's flames devoured more and more of the forest, Kazuki suddenly saw a giant black shadow, nearly ten meters tall, emerge behind Cassandra's grandmother.
"That is…"
Kazuki squinted, trying to make out the shape.
"Giant Tangrowth!"
"Wait, no, no way!"
"That's a giga — giga — Giga Tangrowth!"
Kazuki's eyes widened as he stared at that enormous black silhouette.
It was a colossal Tangrowth, easily ten meters tall, with thick vines as massive as giant pythons, all knotted together like a moving, gray-green fortress.
Kazuki studied it for a moment, then couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "Quasi-Elite level!"
"Holy crap!" Kazuki laughed, bursting out with a curse.
"In the middle of this remote mountain, there's actually a Pokémon this high-level?"
A trace of excitement flashed in Kazuki's eyes.
"Old witch, didn't think you were hiding a trump card like this!"
"Fine, fine, fine — a head-on fight with a Quasi-Elite! I've been dying to try!"
Since he'd be up against something two full tiers above, Kazuki decided not to hold back. He suddenly flicked his wrist, pulling five Poké Balls from his belt and tossing them all into the air.
"Come on out! Pidgeot! Bulbasaur! Wartortle! Primeape! Dratini!"
"Pidgeot!"
"Bulba!"
"Wartortle!"
"Primeape!"
"Dratini!"
With five brilliant flashes of light, Pidgeot, Bulbasaur, Wartortle, Primeape, and Dratini all appeared in front of Kazuki, glaring fiercely at the gigantic Tangrowth.
"Charizard, keep burning — clear the area so your teammates can show off their skills!"
Charizard roared in response, flying to the front of the formation, its jaws opening wide as scorching flames gathered in its mouth.
With a thunderous dragon cry, the surrounding bushes were incinerated in an instant.
"Everyone, all together! Gang up on it!"
At Kazuki's command, all six Pokémon charged straight for the enormous Tangrowth.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
"Pidgeot, Air Slash!"
"Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!"
"Wartortle, Water Gun!"
"Primeape, Cross Chop!"
"Dratini, Dragon Rage!"
Thanks to his Minor Champion Aura from before, Kazuki had long since trained himself to give coordinated commands in a tight timeframe.
So even with six Pokémon acting at once, everything ran smoothly.
Six moves fired off simultaneously, flames, slicing wind, leaves, water jets, raging fists, and dragon breath weaving together, instantly engulfing Tangrowth.
BOOM—!
The tremendous explosion shook the entire forest, smoke surging up, sparks flying everywhere — like the end of the world.
But as the smoke cleared, Kazuki's pupils suddenly contracted.
"What?!"
The massive Tangrowth, though scorched in spots, was still standing tall, its vines whipping about, having blocked every single attack!
"No way?!" Kazuki laughed in disbelief. "Its defense is insane!"
Must've dumped every stat into defense because it hates pain, huh?
Cassandra's grandmother gave a cold laugh. "Little brat, did you really think your bunch of little ones could defeat my Tangrowth? Dream on!"
"Counterattack! Tangrowth!"
Just as Kazuki had predicted, this Tangrowth was pure low-attack, high-defense.
Even though it was Quasi-Elite level, it couldn't one-shot a high-level Dratini — but it could still wear them down with relentless moves.
And it was exactly these steady, draining moves that let it slowly wear down its opponents.
But that also meant it had to use Giga Drain sooner or later!
"Okay! Primeape, go for it — finish with Rage Fist!"
Primeape roared, grabbing its Focus Band from its head! Its whole body's muscles clenched tight, energy surging into its fists, and it smashed straight into Tangrowth.
BOOM!
That punch landed squarely on Tangrowth's massive frame, sending shockwaves rippling through it, vines shattering and flying in all directions.
"It worked!" A glint of joy flashed in Kazuki's eyes.
But before he could celebrate, the falling leaves parted to reveal Tangrowth had stabilized again.
Its broken vines quickly twisted back together, restoring themselves.
Then Tangrowth swung its massive vines hard, smashing Primeape away, slamming it brutally into the ground and knocking it out.
"Primeape!"
With Rage Fist used up, Primeape was done for, so Kazuki recalled it back into its Poké Ball.
"Damn it, this Tangrowth's recovery is ridiculous!"
"If you're going to go all-out, don't force me to go all-out too!"
Kazuki began tuning his Aura Power into a special frequency, and at the same time drew out the shining talisman from his chest.
Seeing the battle nearing its end, Cassandra's grandmother finally prepared to lecture him.
"Little brat, you—!"
"For a rookie trainer to have so many strong Pokémon, I'm truly surprised! You—"
"Charizard, keep up the Flamethrower!" Kazuki had zero interest in listening to the old witch's moral sermon, continuing to bark orders.
"Pidgeot, Hurricane! Hold it down!"
"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip, wrap up those vines! Wartortle, provide water support! Dratini, Dragon Rage!"
The five Pokémon launched another coordinated wave of attacks, fire, slicing wind, vines, water jets, and dragon breath all crashing down on the same target.
BOOM!
The forest once again descended into chaos.
Kazuki reached out, grabbing a burning tree branch, ready to light the shining talisman.
But just then, Gastly's Poké Ball began shaking violently.
"Hm?" Kazuki frowned, noticing the sudden movement. "Gastly?"
He released Gastly.
Heh heh heh! Heh heh heh!
Gastly looked at the raging battlefield with wild excitement gleaming in its eyes.
"What is it, Gastly? You got a move that can handle this boss?"
Heh heh heh! Heh heh heh!
Kazuki saw that excited glint in Gastly's eyes — it was signaling that it could evolve, and after evolving, it could use Millennium Dark Pulse one more time!
Maybe it really could help defeat Tangrowth!
Kazuki glanced up at the now visibly exhausted Tangrowth and hesitated for a moment.
If we can beat a Quasi-Elite-level Pokémon together, that'll be a huge boost to their battle experience!
"All right! Give it a shot!"
Gastly nodded, releasing the power it had been suppressing all along. A flash of white light enveloped it, and Gastly swiftly completed its evolution.
[Lv28 Gastly → Lv28 Haunter]
Just as Haunter finished evolving, Pidgeot and Charizard were slammed to the ground by Tangrowth's whipping vines.
Seeing Kazuki's main battle force fall, Cassandra's grandmother nodded slightly, satisfied.
"Kid, I have to admit — you really are something!"
"It seems you really don't have anything to do with Agatha. This extraordinary Gastly truly was raised by you!"
"You're a strong one in your own right! Your Gastly's future may not be any weaker than Agatha's Gengar!"
As Cassandra's grandmother stepped calmly through the smoke, she suddenly noticed Haunter releasing a surge of purple smoke.
"What's going on!" Her face froze in shock.
"You have ghost type?"
"Kid, are you trying to become a Ghost-type Elite Four too?"
"What are you doing with so many Ghost-types?"
"No — wait!"
"That's the same Gastly! It evolved!"
"And after a move like that, it still has power left to go again?"
Cassandra's grandmother was stunned. She couldn't believe it could unleash such a move twice — and even if it could, there should have been a massive cost.
"Stop, kid! I believe you! You really have no ties to Agatha, I…"
She wanted to step forward to stop him, but it was too late.
"Millennium Dark Pulse!"
With a low growl, Haunter unleashed the move.
The Millennium Dark Pulse erupted like a furious storm, its purple smoke swirling with endless resentment and terror, instantly enveloping Tangrowth's entire body.
Tangrowth's huge frame actually began to tremble under that power, falling into a state of terror and unable to attack.
But in the chaos, even Bulbasaur and Dratini were swept up by the fear effect.
Kazuki quickly recalled all his Pokémon.
As he was recalling Haunter, it also pulled its power back into its Poké Ball.
Around Haunter's body, the purple smoke still swirled violently.
Kazuki tried to connect with Haunter's aura, but its spiritual waves were like a candle in a hurricane — flickering wildly, impossible to steady.
"Crap, Haunter still hasn't fully mastered the evolved Millennium Dark Pulse!"
Just as he was about to burn the shining talisman to summon Millennium Gastly for help, Cassandra's grandmother suddenly flashed over and blocked him with her cane.
"Old witch! What are you trying to do!"
Kazuki barked, countering her witchcraft with his Psychic Power.
Cassandra's grandmother sensed Kazuki's anger and quickly softened her tone.
"Kid, I already believe you have nothing to do with Agatha!"
"Just now, I only wanted to test your strength after hiding away for so many years!"
"But now your Haunter's state is dangerous!"
"Are you going to just stand there and watch it waste all that potential?"
"Leave it to me — I know how to stabilize it!"
Kazuki's aura really could no longer connect with Haunter's unstable mind.
Considering that the old witch was only hostile to Agatha and had no other ulterior motives, he decided to trust her once more.
"Old witch, if you dare pull any tricks, I won't hold back — even for Cassandra's sake!" Kazuki warned coldly, a fierce glint in his eyes.
Cassandra's grandmother said no more, quickly moving to Haunter's side.
She took out a strange pill from her sleeve — it was a deep purple color, faintly glowing.
She held the pill to Haunter's mouth and spoke gently, "Little one, take this…"
Haunter, even in its chaotic state, seemed to have an instinctive desire for the pill, and swallowed it in one gulp.
Moments later, the purple smoke around it began to slowly fade, and its spiritual waves gradually stabilized.
Its once-wild eyes grew clear again, and its body lightened, floating calmly in the air with a cheerful grin, returning to Kazuki's side.
Kazuki immediately extended his aura, reconnecting.
Through their spiritual link, he could sense that Haunter was now completely steady, and even stronger than before.
"Haunter, how do you feel?" Kazuki asked with concern.
Haunter wobbled happily, clearly confident it could fully master the Millennium Dark Pulse.
"Oh? Just a single pill could do that?" Kazuki looked over at Cassandra's grandmother, eyes full of surprise and suspicion.
"Kid, if you have more questions, follow me up ahead."
"Don't stand there in my witchcraft array."
She waved her cane, and a path instantly opened through the forest ahead. She took the lead, walking forward.