The next day, after parting ways with Ash and the others, Yozora rode on Pidgeot and once again arrived at the Spirit Battleground near Saffron City.
As before, the place was filled with adventurers.
Yozora battled several times, and once again, every opponent was crushed with ease.
As his journey continued, his strength grew ever greater, and the levels of his Pokémon rose higher and higher.
Especially Golduck, Aegislash, and Pidgeot—their levels had climbed so high that ordinary battles no longer gave them any experience at all.
Beedrill was even more extreme.
Thus, in recent days, Yozora had found himself more inclined toward training and cultivation than casual battles. Rather than beating up weaklings, at least through training, Golduck and Aegislash could still find room for improvement.
Simply put, Yozora had grown so strong that finding a truly worthy opponent was becoming increasingly difficult—it would take a twist of fate to meet one now.
Of course, Machop, Graveler, and even Miltank still had plenty of room to grow.
"If Golduck and the others can reach Gym Leader level, then I'll finally be able to directly challenge Gym Leaders!" Yozora sighed to himself.
For Golduck and Aegislash, their levels weren't exactly high, but neither were they low. They were stuck in the middle ground—unable to take on Gym Leaders, but completely crushing ordinary Gym Trainers.
A frustrating situation.
"Aegislash, it's still daytime. No one knows where the Ghost-types are hiding, but you're familiar with this place. You should know their lairs." Yozora released Aegislash in a quiet corner.
The blade Pokémon immediately turned and began leading the way.
Along the way, Yozora encountered many Ghost-types—Gastly, Haunter, even some Misdreavus from Johto, and a few Duskull from Hoenn.
But not a single Gengar.
Yozora wasn't obsessed with catching a Gengar; a Gastly or Haunter would do—as long as it had one requirement: it had to know Hypnosis.
Of course, potential mattered too.
At the very least, it needed Gym Leader potential. Otherwise, with Yozora's current standards, he wouldn't even bother.
However—
After circling the entire Spirit Battleground with Aegislash, Yozora didn't see a single Ghost-type that met his standards.
"Ghnngh." Aegislash let out a sound, gazing at Yozora. It knew Yozora could understand.
"You're saying this place has no ruler right now? That there are no strong Ghost-types left here?" Yozora asked in surprise. "Why is that?"
"Ghnngh!" Aegislash explained further.
As it turned out, every so often, the Spirit Battleground would give rise to a Battle Soul Cloak.
Whenever that time came, the area's yin energy would thicken, drawing Ghost-types from far and wide to fight for the cloak.
But now was a period of dormancy. The older generation of strong Ghosts had already been captured by humans, and with no new Battle Soul Cloak appearing, there was nothing to attract new powerful Ghost-types.
"I see." Yozora nodded.
Since that was the case, there was no point in lingering. After recalling Aegislash, he mounted Pidgeot and departed.
Lavender Town.
That evening, Yozora arrived at Lavender Town, nestled between Saffron City and Celadon City.
Though just a town, it was bustling with life—far different from the countryside of Pallet Town. Of course, rural places had their charms as well, with their beautiful natural scenery.
But Lavender Town was famous for one thing above all: the Pokémon Tower.
The tower served as one of Kanto's most renowned Pokémon graveyards. Countless Pokémon who had fallen in battle or died of illness were laid to rest here.
As such, the Tower's yin energy was extremely heavy, naturally drawing many Ghost-types to dwell within.
Back then, Yozora had gone to the Spirit Battleground in search of the Battle Soul Cloak.
But now, wanting to find a high-potential Gengar, coming to the Pokémon Tower was without a doubt the best choice.
"Young man, coming to pay respects so late at night? Be careful—the yin energy here grows stronger after dark, and Ghosts run rampant. Without an exorcist's protection, it could be dangerous!" The Tower's caretaker, a woman in her thirties, called out as she noticed Yozora entering alone.
The Pokémon Tower had seven floors.
The first floor was a hall filled with visitors, bustling with yang energy.
From the second floor onward, tombstones filled the space, heavy with yin energy. That was where the so-called "Ghosts" roamed.
In truth, there were no real ghosts—only Ghost-type Pokémon.
Still, the oppressive yin energy, combined with the pranks of Ghost-types, was enough to make one's hair stand on end.
Like walking through a graveyard at night: even if you rationally knew ghosts didn't exist, the chill was enough to make anyone shiver.
The so-called "exorcists" were simply Trainers who specialized in capturing Ghost-types. Some were reliable; others were frauds who preyed on the fearful.
For a fee, exorcists could capture Ghost-types or escort mourners safely through the tower.
"No need. I'm not afraid of ghosts." Yozora smiled lightly and stepped straight into the second floor.
Whoosh—
The moment he entered, a wave of yin energy swept in from all directions.
Yang is warmth, yin is cold. Where yin gathered, the chill pressed against one's skin, biting into the body.
Ghost-types absorbed warmth and released cold, making the sensation not just psychological but physiological as well.
When Yozora felt goosebumps prickle along his arms, he knew—he was already being targeted.
Snap—
The lightbulbs on the second floor suddenly went out, plunging the area into total darkness.
Clearly, this was the handiwork of Ghost-types.
Had anyone else been present, they would surely have screamed in terror.
But Yozora was different. Even in pitch blackness, where one couldn't see a hand in front of their face, he could clearly sense the Ghost-types' aura all around him.
Humans feared the unknown—uncertainty bred fear. But once you understood, the fear faded away.
Not only did Yozora understand—he could feel the Ghost-types with every pulse of his aura. His heart remained calm, unshaken.
"Golduck, it's your turn." Yozora released Golduck. Thanks to their bond, Golduck felt no fear of the chilling environment.
Through that same connection, it had already locked onto the mischievous Ghost's position.
"Golduck, use Psychic. Teach it a lesson."
The air quivered—then came a piercing scream. A moment later, the lights flickered back on.
Beside the lamp socket, a Gastly appeared. Its face wore a twisted expression—half laughing, half grimacing in pain.
Golduck's psychic assault had hurt it, that much was certain.
Yet the smile showed it had still enjoyed the prank, even if it had been punished for it.
"Heh-heh-heh…" Gastly cackled darkly. Knowing it stood no chance against Yozora and Golduck, it vanished back into the wall.
Yozora didn't bother to pursue. A Gastly with only Senior-level potential wasn't worth the effort.
(End of Chapter)