Very quickly, the young lady learned from Axel the reason why Haunter stayed here.
Knowing that Haunter remained here in order to guard the shrooms, the young lady's gaze instantly changed.
Her whole body was shining with a maternal glow, her big eyes blinking and sparkling.
"Axel, are you sure you don't want to capture this Pokémon?"
"He's so pitiful, clearly already at gym leader level, and yet he still stays here just for these shrooms, never having seen the outside world."
"Only two hundred million, and you can take away a Pokémon that's already grown to gym leader level. Even if it's not for Haunter's cute personality, it's still worth it!"
Platinum stared seriously at Axel, double- and triple-checking, afraid that Axel was only giving this Pokémon to her out of politeness.
Until Axel confirmed once more, Platinum's lips suddenly curled slightly upward.
'This guy, he really does treat me as his close best friend.'
A mere two hundred million, as long as Axel asked, she would definitely lend him the money.
But Axel always used the excuse of not having enough money to give Haunter to her instead.
Saying she wasn't touched, that would be a lie.
"Don't worry, Axel, I'll definitely repay you well!"
Platinum slapped her proud chest, the little bunnies bouncing up and down.
"In a few days when we choose Gible, I'll definitely have father talk with the clan leader properly, so you can pick whichever you want."
Axel blinked, 'Girl, can you not self-conquer like this?'
'Damn it, I'm just broke, just broke!'
The young lady turned to look at Haunter and began speaking to him.
"Although I'm not as upright as Axel, and my nurturing skills aren't as good as his, I surely can't give you a better life."
"But right now I really need you!"
"Axel has a big plan to carry out, and he's already delayed three days for me, I'm already extremely guilty."
"If I don't want to hold up his journey, I must become stronger."
"Will you help me?"
Haunter blinked, clapped his two claws together, thumbs and index fingers rubbing.
"Haun!"
'I'll go with you if you have money, Miss, otherwise all these shrooms will be driven out.'
"As I thought, you still want to follow Axel, don't you?", Platinum sighed, feeling even more guilty toward Axel.
"I know this isn't right, but if you're willing to come with me, I'll definitely buy this house for you, alright."
"Haun! Haun!"
'Okay, okay master!'
Seeing Haunter's excited look, Platinum felt even more guilty.
'So in the end, Haunter still doesn't want to follow me?'
'Even Haunter feels Axel has sacrificed too much for me.'
Axel: "..."
'Wait, you obviously can't understand Haunter, so how are you talking with him like this?'
'Besides, Haunter's mental fluctuations clearly show he's super excited, okay?'
'How about you just throw a ball and try it?'
"Young lady, throw the ball. And hurry and buy this house too, Haunter's willing to follow you."
"Really?", Platinum turned to Haunter, took out a Luxury Ball from her bag.
Haunter glanced at Platinum's outfit, then at the logo on her bag hanging at her waist, nodded without hesitation, and tapped the Pokéball himself.
A beam of light flashed.
The Pokéball shook a few times in Platinum's hand, capture successful.
Platinum was overjoyed, smacked a kiss onto Axel's face.
"Thank you for speaking up to persuade Haunter!"
Right after the kiss, the young lady immediately dialed the butler's number.
"Butler grandpa, my bodyguard just gave me a gym leader-level Haunter."
"Can you help me find a big construction team, I have something to do."
The newly released Haunter and Axel both froze.
Haunter bought a house just to stop it from being bulldozed by a construction team, and you're calling a big construction team?
But the next second, the two of them fell silent.
Platinum: "Yes, yes, it must be a big construction team."
"I promised Haunter to give his Pokémon friends a place to live, so I want to buy all the old houses and wilderness on the north side of Hearthome City and transform them into a large-scale wild Pokémon sanctuary."
Haunter: "???"
Having lived over a thousand years, this was the first time he had heard such an obscure term.
'People hire construction teams to make money, but you hire a construction team because you've got too much money to spend...'
'Could this be the so-called meeting a true master?'
'Don't worry master, that gym I'll help you clear for sure!'
———
A dozen minutes later, Platinum and Axel used the Pokédex transfer function to evolve Haunter into Gengar, stopping in front of Hearthome Gym's entrance.
The young lady took a deep breath, nervously stroking Gengar's big head.
This time, she truly intended to rely on her own strength to win.
The previous gyms, without exception, every single one was cleared with Axel's help.
Now with Gengar, she also wanted to try, to see just what strength she really had.
"Axel, Gengar and I only just met, do you think I'll lose?"
"Although Gengar is gym leader-level, Gym Leader Fantina herself is a ghost-type expert... Won't she easily defeat Gengar and me?"
Axel glanced at Gengar's skill pool, and couldn't worry at all.
'With a skill pool like this, this Gengar losing against Pokémon of the same level?'
If this guy could lose, then tonight he might as well agree to Gardevoir's request and let Pheromosa trample him again.
"Who said your Gengar is gym leader-level?"
"This guy is clearly champion-tier battle strength!"
As he spoke, Axel pulled Platinum into a corner at the gym entrance, leaned in close to her ear.
"Listen to me, in a bit you should fight like this..."
"Huh?", Hearing Axel's tactics, the young lady's fair cheeks instantly turned red.
As the young lady of the Berlitz family, the education she received since childhood was kindness and righteousness.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have so quickly developed feelings for the equally kind, righteous, brave, and friendly Axel.
But... those things Axel just said, like "Toxic stall" and "Perish Song," were truly beyond Platinum's imagination.
'So battles could be fought like this?'
"Is this really okay? Won't Gym Leader Fantina get mad?"
"Relax," Axel grinned, patted the Glastrier behind him, as well as the Pokéball on his waist said to be the nemesis of all strategies, Gholdengo.
"Believe that Gym Leader Fantina will be reasonable. And if she really isn't, Glastrier and Gholdengo will reason with her."
With Axel's firm guarantee, Platinum thought of how he was also in a hurry to save the world, so she no longer hesitated, turned, and walked toward the gym, gently knocking on the big door.
"Hello, is Gym Leader Fantina here? I'd like to challenge the gym!"
After a few seconds, a mature woman's voice came from inside.
"A gym challenge?"
"Alright!"
"But the gym is currently under renovation, so we can only battle outside."
"And the rules will also be field battle rules, are you sure you still want to challenge?"
Hearing this, Axel couldn't help but laugh.
'What kind of genius brain is this?'
'Field battle against a Gengar that can hide in shadows?'
'You're crazy, lady!'
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