"Haunter, come here."
Shiro waved a hand at the floating figure. Haunter drifted closer, clutching its belly and grinning wide.
He squeezed the ghost Pokémon's body a few times, then checked the item strapped to it, the Intermediate-quality Dusk Stone that Edgar had given him. Haunter wore it every day.
"This looks a little smaller..."
Looking closely, the stone really did seem shrunken compared to before.
"Haun, haun..."
Haunter moved about, waving its claws and pointing at the stone.
"You mean... you can feel that this Dusk Stone has been shrinking?" Shiro guessed.
"Haunnteer!"
It nodded quickly and made more gestures. For a long time it had been absorbing energy from the stone every day, then practicing its control during training. But two days ago, no matter how it tried, it could no longer take in any energy. The feeling was like being full after a meal.
"Full… your energy has reached a critical point?" He muttered, squeezing Haunter's claws until the ghost burst into laughter.
He thought for a while but didn't hand over the Linking Cord just yet. By logic, its level, training, and growth had all reached the limit. The only thing it lacked was real battles.
'Would intense fights help it master its body better?'
Maybe it didn't need to evolve. Perhaps Haunter could push through on its own and reach Gym-level.
In that case, the Linking Cord could wait. He could use it later when it reached Elite-level or even beyond.
With that in mind, he crouched down and scooped up Growlithe, who had stretched its neck upright. He moved his head to avoid the dog's licking tongue, rubbed its furry head, and asked, "Growlithe, have you felt any change in your strength lately?"
"Growl?"
The pup tilted its head, then shook hard. Its thick, flax-colored mane puffed out, and its long ears flopped with each shake.
"Doesn't seem like it... looks like you've reached your limit too." He set it back down.
Raising his hand, he beckoned to Vibrava, who fluttered over. Shiro inspected its wings and hooked claws carefully.
He had asked around before about training methods. For Vibrava, the focus was on strengthening its body and wings.
The Trapinch line went through big changes in evolution. From Trapinch to Vibrava, two pairs of wings sprouted and the whole appearance shifted drastically. From Vibrava to Flygon, the transformation was even greater. It grew claws and a tail, becoming long and sleek. When it became Flygon, no one would recognize the little bug it once was.
Now Vibrava's body was tough and resilient. Its wings were dark green with a faint red glow at the edges, a clear sign of excellent care.
"Evolving into Flygon takes level forty-five. First we just need to go past level forty. After that, evolution won't be far."
He spoke while playing with a small Everstone in his hand.
Everstones stopped evolution. For Haunter and Growlithe they weren't much use since both evolved with special items; Linking Cord for Haunter, Fire Stone for Growlithe.
But he had plenty of Everstones anyway. They weren't rare. In Galar's black market they went for only a few hundred thousand Pokedollars.
"Forget it. Might as well wear one each, treat them like little accessories."
Following a short hesitation, he tied an Everstone pendant around Growlithe's neck.
The dog hopped, making the gray-white stone dangle and swing.
Haunter's ghostly body wasn't suited for wearing one, so it didn't. He gave another to Vibrava.
Shiro looked at the three Pokémon lined up neatly in front of him, satisfied, and pondered about how he should train them next.
Gym battles? Should he wait until Gym Leaders released their Advanced-level Pokémon, then send these three in for training?
But after thinking again, he shook his head. That wasn't the best idea. Instead, he called out, "Haunter! Battle against Growlithe!"
He wanted to see if fighting among themselves would help. Maybe just a little combat stimulation was all that they needed.
The moment he finished speaking, the two ran to opposite ends of the open ground.
The clearing was half-circle shaped, about sixteen meters across and five meters high. Just enough space for the Pokémon to move around.
"Grooowl!"
Growlithe stood firm, letting out a sharp bark. Its eyes shone bright, its mane smooth, brimming with confidence.
Why would it be afraid of Haunter?
This ghost had been stuck below Gym-level for so long. It was nothing compared to the towering Corviknight, whose power and size alone were intimidating.
"Hauun!"
Haunter caught the faint contempt in Growlithe's gaze and grew annoyed. It bared its teeth, stuck out its long tongue, let it curl twice through the air, then growled while lunging forward with its claws stretched out, trying to scare its bold companion.
But Growlithe ignored the bluff. Flames burst around its body as it leapt forward, charging straight into the air toward the Ghost-type.
"Growl!"
The bark came with searing heat. The closer it drew, the hotter and brighter the flames became.
Flame Wheel.
Type-wise, Fire against Ghost and Poison wasn't strong or weak. There was no advantage or disadvantage in this fight.
Just as Growlithe was about to crash into it, Haunter gave a startled cry and vanished in a swirl of purple-black smoke.
The blazing wheel tore through the space, leaving nothing but a wave of hot, swelling air.
"Hauuunnteer~"
Still midair, Growlithe heard Haunter's eerie laugh behind it.
It had reacted fast, almost like it expected this from the start. Haunter wasn't underestimating its fiery opponent.
"Hauun!"
Another chilling cry sounded as Haunter clenched its fists and swung them at the back of the dog's neck.
Growlithe twisted its head, baring sharp teeth. In an instant, fire erupted from all four limbs, spreading across its body and lashing toward Haunter.
Being a single-type Fire Pokémon that trained mostly with fire moves, it was already skilled at manipulating its own energy. To ignite again, or to release flames from anywhere on its body, was second nature by now.
Haunter felt the heat and pulled back its fists at once, deciding not to engage in close combat anymore. One touch of those flames and it could be in real danger. That wasn't its style.
Retreating fast, it slipped into the shadows.
Growlithe landed lightly on the ground, eyes scanning the area with caution, paying special attention to the rocky shadows cast by the yellow lamps.
For a second, it thought about unleashing all its fire, covering the entire battlefield in flames…
"No need to hold back. Fight with everything you've got!"
Shiro's voice rang out, steady and sharp. He backed away, keeping Vibrava close, then called out to Drakloak.
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