So my mental strength keeps growing stronger… then what about my Aura? Yozora's thoughts stirred.
Aura, at its core, was nothing more than a form of spiritual power within the human body. Aura Guardians were simply able to channel that spiritual power into Aura and wield it as a force.
Thus, the stronger one's mental strength, the stronger one's Aura would become.
As time passed, Yozora had grown more and more adept at controlling Aura. Using it was now almost second nature to him.
To see not only with the eyes, to hear not only with the ears, but to sense all surrounding energies through Aura itself…
Focus his sight, and he could see more clearly.Focus his hearing, and he could listen more sharply.Focus his perception, and he could sense everything with piercing clarity.
"Aura!"
Centering himself, Yozora released his Aura outward as far as it would spread. In moments, his Aura enveloped the entire second floor of the tower.
Within this sphere, nothing escaped his notice. Every ripple of energy, no matter how faint, was caught in his perception.
With an ability like this, if he were to revisit Mt. Moon, digging up Moon Stones and fossils would be child's play.
Of course, Moon Stones and fossils weren't exclusive to Mt. Moon—it was merely rich in them. Other mountains and valleys also hid countless precious stones and fossils yet to be unearthed. If Yozora wanted to mine them, Mt. Moon was hardly his only choice.
…
At present, though—on the Ghost Tower's second floor—apart from himself and his Golduck, there was no other significant energy presence.
That meant this floor had already been cleared of Ghost-type Pokémon. The Gastly from earlier had likely fled to the third floor or higher.
Yozora pressed on, ascending to the third floor, his Aura continuing to expand until it filled the entire level.
Soon, he sensed three faint auras.
Yet though he felt their presence, no Pokémon appeared before his eyes. That could only mean one thing: more invisible Gastly.
The Gastly line excelled at invisibility. This ability was infuriating for rookie Trainers, often driving them into despair.
The three presences were weak, which meant their levels were low. But a low level didn't necessarily mean low potential.
Still, Aura alone couldn't reveal potential. For that, Yozora needed both his eyes and his system's scan.
He ordered Golduck to use Psychic, knocking the three Gastly unconscious and forcing them to reveal their forms. Only then did he scan them.
Finding their potential unremarkable, he moved on.
By the fifth floor, Yozora came across a girl who had been hypnotized. After reviving her, the grateful girl left in tears of thanks. Yozora turned his attention to the culprit—a Haunter with the power to use Hypnosis.
"Heh-heh-heh…" The Haunter's eerie laugh carried an almost mesmerizing rhythm.
In an instant, Yozora felt his mind pulled into a sealed space. Nothing existed there—only a voice that lulled him into drowsy slumber…
"What powerful Hypnosis." Yozora snapped himself awake immediately.
Hypnosis was a direct assault on the spirit. But his spirit was far too formidable.
If this Haunter were of Elite Four caliber, perhaps even Yozora might have succumbed. Unfortunately for it, this one was merely Senior level.
Senior-level strength, but with Commander-tier potential. Not bad—its Hypnosis in particular was noteworthy.
Yet Yozora did not capture it. The Ghost Tower still had two more floors. He would check them first.
If nothing better appeared, he could always come back for this Haunter later.
…
The sixth floor held nothing unusual, so Yozora and Golduck advanced directly to the seventh.
As expected of the final floor, the Yin energy here was overwhelming.
Walking the seventh floor felt like trudging through a frozen night. The very air pressed against them with an unnatural chill.
Gusts of ghostly wind swept by, raising goosebumps.
The floor was shrouded in pitch darkness. The lights had long since failed, and flicking the switches yielded no result.
From within that blackness, pairs of crimson eyes glowed. Ghost Eyes—Gastly and Haunter's favorite trick to terrify intruders.
Through Aura, Yozora gauged the situation. There were many ghosts here, but few strong ones. The most powerful barely reached Senior peak level.
"Golduck, use Psychic." Yozora gave his command.
The next moment, a chorus of shrieks filled the chamber.
In Yozora's perception, every aura on the floor weakened sharply. All had been struck down instantly by Golduck, losing their ability to battle.
"Bang—!"
Just then, the strongest presence smashed through a window, tearing curtains aside as it fled into the night like a shadow.
Moonlight streamed in, and Yozora caught a glimpse of its bulky silhouette. It had to be a Gengar—neither Gastly nor Haunter had such a stocky frame.
With the moonlight, the oppressive Yin energy eased, and the room grew brighter.
Yozora swept his gaze across the floor. Ghost-types lay everywhere—Gastly and Haunter alike—all defeated and unconscious.
Among them were several weakened humans, asleep on the ground.
Clearly, they had been hypnotized by the ghosts, their life force drained, leaving them frail.
Fortunately, it wasn't fatal. With proper care, they would recover in days.
"Golduck, these people are your responsibility. We'll regroup at the base of the tower." Yozora released Pidgeot, gave his orders, and soared out the broken window in pursuit of the escaping Gengar.
"Pff!"
Golduck sprayed gentle bursts of Water Gun, dousing the faces of the slumbering humans.
One by one, they awoke. More than a dozen in total—men, women, young, old, though most were inexperienced youths.
Every face was pale, with heavy dark circles under their eyes, exhaustion etched into their gazes. Such was the toll of having too much life energy siphoned away.
"Wh-where are we?"
"Are we finally saved?"
"I—I came to visit a grave earlier. I lost track of time, and by nightfall I was caught by ghosts!"
"Look—on the floor! So many Gastly and Haunter! Are these the spirits that attacked us?"
"They're all beaten down… who defeated them?"
The survivors gasped in disbelief. Then, in the moonlight, they spotted a striking figure ahead—a Golduck clad in a plaid shirt and surf shorts, standing tall with heroic bearing.
"Golduck? Did this Golduck save us? But… does it not have a Trainer?!" the crowd exclaimed.
Golduck grinned proudly beneath their astonished stares, flexing its body like a bodybuilder, showing off toned muscles and bulging biceps.
The sight left the survivors dumbfounded, torn between laughter and awe.
One brash youngster even hurled a Poké Ball at Golduck, hoping to capture it. The ball bounced harmlessly off its head, rejected outright.
"As expected—it already has a Trainer. Then where is its master?" someone murmured.
…
…
(End of Chapter)