If Morty's reaction had been just a fraction slower—or if Gastly's speed had faltered even a little—the shadowy Pokémon would have been engulfed by that blazing tongue of fire, suffering grievous wounds.
Gastly, after all, was Gastly: fragile beyond compare, even more so than Gengar.
A single Flamethrower could easily spell its end.
Even if it somehow survived, it would be left with only the faintest sliver of life.
"That was close." Morty clicked his tongue. His experience was rich, and his synergy with Gastly was superb.
But right now, he clearly sensed something more than simple power. Under the influence of fear, Gastly's body had grown sluggish, its speed noticeably dropping!
"Otherwise, with Gastly's peak agility, dodging a Flamethrower of that level would have been effortless!" Morty thought grimly.
Fear crippled both strength and speed.
"This isn't the time to be surprised…"
Facing the awe-inspiring Growlithe, Morty forced down his unease. "Now, Gastly—use Curse!"
At his command, Gastly's eyes flared black. From within them, two streaks of shadow lightning shot forth, striking toward Growlithe.
Growlithe evaded in an instant, countering with another Flamethrower.
Gastly darted aside once more.
The two exchanged blow after blow, tugging at each other's momentum. But where Growlithe fought with ease, Gastly's dodges were strained, desperate.
And with every exchange, Gastly's stamina drained further. After only a few rounds, it was already panting.
Fatigue slowed Gastly even more. The battle would only tilt further against it.
Morty, ever the seasoned fighter, read the situation at a glance. "Quick—hide yourself with your Invisibility!"
A sly grin crept across Gastly's face. Its body flickered, turning translucent until it vanished completely.
Seeing this, Yozora's tense shoulders eased slightly. He was just about to plan his next move when he suddenly snapped, "Growlithe—Flamethrower!"
"??"
Morty's eyes widened.
Why such a reckless command? Blindly attacking wasted stamina—pointless!
Even as Gastly's trainer, Morty had no idea where his Pokémon had vanished. How could Yozora possibly know?
Impossible!
And yet—
"Boom!" The blast struck true. Gastly cried out in pain, hurled backward from the firestorm.
"Gastly!" Morty's voice trembled. He stared at Yozora, shaken. This youth… he wasn't ordinary.
Could it be… he had opened his Mind's Eye?
But at his age? Impossible!
Or… did he possess the Power of Aura?
Morty's thoughts tangled wildly. Meanwhile, the gravely wounded Gastly quivered, then floated upright once more.
It coughed twice, and something dull yellow rolled from its mouth.
An Everstone.
Everstones possessed peculiar power: when a Pokémon swallowed one, evolution would be suppressed, its body frozen in its current stage.
But Everstones were notoriously difficult to digest.
Thus, if a Pokémon wished to evolve again, it could always spit the stone back out…
"Ssshh—" The instant Gastly expelled the Everstone, radiant light burst from its body.
In that glow, its form began to swell and grow.
It was evolving!
"Gastly…"
Morty gazed blankly into the shining cocoon. A pang of guilt twisted his chest.
Back then—
He hadn't explained the Everstone's function, merely had Gastly swallow it. Years had passed since.
And now he realized—Gastly had longed to evolve all this time.
Perhaps it was precisely because of those years of accumulation, that foundation carefully built, that Gastly could now evolve the very instant it shed the Everstone.
Moments later, the light faded.
Gastly was gone. In its place hovered Haunter.
But just like before, the newly evolved Haunter was battered and bruised. Evolution alone had not erased its prior injuries.
Still, with its new form came renewed vigor. Its level had risen, its life force surged, and its stamina strengthened. Though still wounded, it no longer struggled to breathe.
Its eyes gleamed now—bright, fierce, unafraid of Growlithe's aura.
[Haunter] (Ghost + Poison): Lord-tier, Initial Stage.
"Lord-tier…" Yozora's eyes narrowed. No wonder Haunter could shrug off Growlithe's intimidating presence—its power had already reached such a height.
"Good. Haunter, now that you've evolved—show them your strength!"
Morty's voice rang with newfound confidence. "Use Shadow Punch!"
Haunter's claws lashed wildly, releasing a storm of shadowy fists that hurtled toward Growlithe like a tempest.
The assault covered such a vast area that Growlithe froze. It had no time to dodge, and blow after blow slammed into it, driving it backward.
Most of the fists were phantoms, illusions. But hidden among them, the true strikes landed hard. Even with only a few connecting, the damage was devastating.
Growlithe staggered, collapsed, and lay motionless on the ground.
The difference in tiers was too great.
Brave though it was, without its Intimidate aura to suppress the foe, the gap in power was mercilessly revealed.
"Excellent, Haunter! Finish it—use Lick!"
"Shaaa!"
Haunter blurred forward, spectral body flickering like a ghost. In a heartbeat, it loomed above the fallen Growlithe, its grotesque tongue lashing out to lick the Fire-type mercilessly.
In moments, Growlithe went limp, slipping into unconsciousness.
The referee shuddered at the sight, then quickly raised his flag. "Growlithe is unable to battle—Haunter wins!"
The first match ended. Morty claimed the opening point, drawing cheers from the disciples watching outside the arena.
Yozora, however, remained calm, unfazed.
Truth be told, he had never taken Gastly seriously—that was why he had chosen Growlithe in the first place. Now that Haunter had evolved, the battle was finally worth attention.
Before the second round, Yozora didn't recall Growlithe immediately. Instead, he walked forward and lifted it gently into his arms, setting it down by his side.
Growlithe had awakened, though weak and weary. Its gaze, however, was clear.
"You did well, little one. Don't be discouraged—you fought bravely. Rest now." Yozora stroked its mane softly before rising again.
Morty, meanwhile, felt the weight of Yozora's renewed fighting spirit. His sleepy eyes suddenly gleamed. "Yozora… stop holding back. Show me your Eevee!"
On the phone, Bugsy and Falkner had spoken often of Yozora's Eevee.
From mere words, Morty had been unable to gauge its true power. He only knew that it was said to be extraordinary.
But how extraordinary? His friends had only teased, insisting he see for himself.
And now—here was his chance.
"Alright!"
Answering Morty's expectation, Yozora released Eevee.
"What a high level—Lord-tier, Advanced Stage? For an Eevee, that's terrifying…" Morty's eyes widened.
Eevee were typically fragile. Even reaching the Senior tier was impressive.
A Lord-tier Eevee was almost unthinkable. And should it evolve—its strength would leap to Gym Leader level with ease!
After all, evolving an Eevee was child's play.
"Why hasn't he evolved it? One Evolution Stone—that's all it takes. Surely Yozora isn't struggling to afford that? And… no matter how I look at it, aside from its level, there's nothing special about this Eevee…" Doubt gnawed at Morty.
In his view—
Yozora's Growlithe, with its rare Shiny trait and overwhelming aura, was far more remarkable than this Eevee.
Levels? Meaningless.
It was Growlithe's unique qualities that were truly precious.
"Hmph. Level? I'll show you—mere numbers aren't everything!"
Morty raised his hand. "Go, Haunter—Shadow Punch[1]!"
"Boom boom boom…"
Once more, shadow fists roared forth.
But this time, Yozora was utterly calm.
In both speed and reaction, Eevee far surpassed Growlithe.
"Eevee—Double Team."
In a flash, dozens of clones surrounded Haunter, filling the field.
"Wha—" Morty's Haunter faltered, overwhelmed by the sight.
"Don't stop, Haunter! Smash them all until you hit the real one!" Morty barked.
Haunter stiffened, then threw itself into the task, fists lashing out again.
Its wide strikes shredded clone after clone, ten vanishing at once.
"Boom, boom, boom!" In seconds, the illusions thinned.
But as Haunter prepared its next volley, one Eevee suddenly leapt forward.
"Now, Eevee—Thunderbolt!" Yozora roared.
Morty's eyes went wide as that Eevee transformed mid-leap, its body shimmering into Jolteon. Lightning erupted from its fur, striking Haunter squarely.
"Boom!" The violent discharge exploded across the Ghost-type. Haunter shrieked and collapsed, eyes swirling into spirals of defeat.
The referee wasted no time. "Haunter is unable to battle! Ee—Jolteon wins!"
Only after the announcement did Morty begin to comprehend what had happened. His shock did not fade.
"Sudden evolution? But I never saw Yozora use a Thunder Stone. And that speed—it was too fast. Almost as if… it wasn't evolution at all, but transformation…"
Morty frowned deeply, retrieving his fallen Haunter. "Could it be… that Eevee has the ability to evolve and devolve at will?"
His thoughts spun as he released his next Pokémon.
Gengar.
Haunter's evolved form.
And for Yozora, a familiar sight. He too possessed a Gengar—one already at Elite Level, nearing the tier of the Elite Four.
Morty's Gengar hadn't reached that lofty stage, but its strength was still formidable: peak Gym Leader tier, only a single step away from Elite.
Gastly, before evolving, had been mere Senior peak.
But now—Morty had unleashed one of his true trump cards.
This alone showed he had acknowledged Yozora's strength.
"A peak Gym Leader-tier Gengar. Impressive," Yozora murmured, gauging its aura. Morty truly lived up to his reputation as a Gym Leader. Compared to Falkner or Bugsy, his strength was on an entirely different level.
But as Yozora reflected, Morty's command rang out:
"Gengar—use Curse!"
Darkness surged. From Gengar's eyes, two crooked beams of shadow lightning shot forth, twisting through the air in impossible angles before lashing toward Jolteon.
"Zzzzt—!" Jolteon darted frantically, but the attacks homed in relentlessly. With a crack, they struck true, detonating across its body.
Jolteon skidded back, paws carving trenches in the arena floor.
"Jolteon—Thunderbolt!" Yozora countered instantly.
Electricity surged, but Gengar only sneered and melted into the ground, gliding like a phantom toward its foe.
"Now, Gengar—Shadow Ball!" Morty ordered.
Gengar burst from the earth, hands molding a black sphere that it hurled into Jolteon with crushing force.
The blast sent Jolteon flying, its cry sharp and pained. Smoke billowed.
When it cleared, Jolteon lay unmoving on the ground, unconscious.
But then—
"Flash!"
A sudden shimmer swept across its body. To Morty's utter shock, the fallen Jolteon shrank back into… Eevee.
"What…?"
"So it wasn't evolution? It really was transformation?"
"Could this Eevee… actually possess the power to change forms at will?"
Morty's mind reeled, filled with questions.
(End of Chapter)
[1] Author forgets the ghost attack can't damage normal type