In front of the Kirlia a blue drop of water gathered — the move Life Dew. Used on herself, it cleared away most of the burn on her arm, and the pain of it went at the same time.
On the other side the Gastly was in a far worse way, its head drooping, its whole face worn out.
"Kirlia—"
The Kirlia was about to send out another move when she heard the Gastly calling, heh, heh.
"Hiss-heh. No more, no more. I give up."
The Gastly gave in outright. Fight on and it would still lose.
And take a thorough beating into the bargain, with its body aching past bearing.
A Gastly was not stupid.
Doing a thing you knew could not be done — what was that but want of sense?
It thought well enough of Vance in any case and had a mind to follow him; this much of a test would do.
"Kirlia—"
The Kirlia stopped and stood looking at it. Why give in all of a sudden? She had not had her fill yet.
Since it had given in, she left off attacking.
"You won't regret today's choice."
Vance said it with a smile, took out a Poké Ball and set it down in front of the Gastly.
"Hiss-heh. I suppose not. That's my feeling too."
The Gastly hesitated a moment, then opened the Poké Ball, turned to red light and went inside.
"Clunk—"
The Gastly was caught. It became the eighth Pokémon in Vance's hands, and filled out the Ghost-type place on the team.
"Come on out, Gastly."
Vance let the Gastly out again and saw to it until it was in health once more.
"My name is Vance. I'll be your Trainer from now on. Welcome to us, Gastly."
"Hiss-heh—"
The Gastly nodded, friendly enough, and greeted the Zoroark and the Kirlia.
"You've other companions as well. Let's have you all acquainted. Out you come, everyone."
Vance called the Gyarados and the rest out of their Poké Balls, and in an instant that out-of-the-way spot was full of overbearing presences.
"Hiss... hiss-heh!"
The Gastly started and looked round, and found all these formidable creatures watching it. The weight of it went straight to the top of the scale.
At least there was no ill will in it. What showed on the outside was all friendliness.
And it was thinking, at the same time, how fortunate it was that the Kirlia had been the one to fight it. Against any of these it might not have lasted a single move.
"Roar, roar—"
"Combusken—"
The Aerodactyl and the others all greeted it in turn, which counted as an introduction. This dark little thing, like a black ball, might at some point in the future be fighting at their side.
There was no telling.
Once a companion, then family; and it would have their goodwill accordingly.
As weak and small as that, it had better eat plenty, so it could grow up quickly.
Catching the Gastly had gone off without a hitch or a surprise.
With the strength of the team as it stood, it would have been odd indeed if they could not catch a level 23 Gastly.
There had been no difficulty in it at all.
With conditions as good as Vance could offer now, even catching a pseudo-legendary would not be much of a problem.
People choose Pokémon, and Pokémon choose Trainers as well; a Pokémon has a feeling for roughly how things stand.
There in Viridian Forest, Vance caught the Gastly, and the team had one more companion in it.
"Hiss-heh—"
Meeting the Gyarados and the others for the first time, the Gastly seemed a little out of place, but that was a small matter; a while in each other's company would settle it, and the Gastly would fold into the team.
To welcome the Gastly, Vance made a lavish supper, and made up a stick of "incense" on the spot as well.
The Gastly circled the "incense", drinking in the smoke that spread from it, its face rapt, drawing the mist around it down into its belly.
That was the flavour, the Gastly said to itself, lost in it.
Ghost-type Pokémon are a special case. They do not feed only on solid things like Berries and fresh meat; there is also this "incense", which supplies them with nourishment.
It is one more of the mysterious, uncanny things about Ghost-types.
For Vance it presented no difficulty.
He had the raising of the Gastly family thoroughly worked out; he understood most Ghost-type Pokémon, it would be fair to say.
"Heh-heh-heh—"
Watching the Gastly float in front of a stick of incense, happy and rapt, the other Pokémon found it a great curiosity.
Seeing it, Vance explained for them, setting out a few of the characteristics of Ghost-types.
"This is a kind of feeding too. The 'incense' gives off a mist much like life-force for Ghost-types to absorb, and it helps them grow. It's a very successful invention — it avoids a great many problems."
"Ghost-types mostly need to absorb life-force in order to grow. Pokémon or human, if too much is taken from them they collapse and can even die, which is what shows the importance of this item."
"What the Gastly is doing there is, in a sense, no different from the rest of you sitting down to a meal."
"Roar, roar—"
The Pokémon were satisfied, with the look of so that's how it is on their faces.
Vance turned to the Gastly again and opened the system to scan it.
> **Name:** Gastly (male)
> **Type:** Ghost / Poison
> **Ability:** Levitate
> **Aptitude:** Gym-class
> **Level:** 23
> **Moves:** Lick, Hypnosis, Mean Look, Spite, Curse, Shadow Ball, Will-O-Wisp, Payback
A Gastly is a thin, gas-like life form with a black spherical core, large white eyes with small black pupils, and a mouth set with a pair of fangs.
Gym-class aptitude, and the moves it had in hand were much what Vance had expected.
Gym-class aptitude was nothing to sniff at. Raised properly, the floor on its future was Elite-Four-class; out in the world it would be a Pokémon in hot demand. On Vance's team it simply did not stand out.
"Hiss-heh—"
The Gastly settled to the ground with a look of deep contentment. So satisfying. What the future held it did not know; today, at any rate, was uncommonly comfortable.
Seeing the Slaking and the others around it looking just as contented, it thought ahead to the life to come.
It seemed rather good.
The Gastly thought it over quietly. Having a Trainer would do very well. Board and lodging found.