All afternoon, Gastly had been licking every inch of Arbok with its big tongue.
Sure, it was technically using the move "Lick," but Natsu couldn't help but suspect that Gastly was just craving Arbok's venom.
Paralysis Effect Triggered!
Arbok stiffened and collapsed to the ground, its venom glands visibly shrinking.
Natsu's expression turned strange. He wanted to stop Gastly several tis but hesitated.
Well... it's not good to interrupt soone in the middle of sothing.
On the other side, Nanami, the elite Poison-type Trainer, looked utterly baffled.
Sure, Gastly had a quadruple resistance to Poison, but there was no way Arbok should be this thoroughly dominated!
Who's the elite Trainer here?!
"Hey, you!" Nanami gritted her teeth. "What kind of family do you co from?!"
"Anyone who can breed a Gastly like this doesn't need to co to a Battle Club!"
Natsu sighed. "I wish I knew how I bred it too."
This doesn't make sense. How is Gastly overpowering Arbok? Did sothing go wrong sowhere?
Seeing Natsu's sincere expression, Nanami couldn't stay mad. She sighed and recalled Arbok.
"Next ti, don't co to this club," she said wearily.
Natsu blinked. "Why not?"
"Didn't you see my Arbok? It's practically drained dry!"
Arbok was severely weakened, and its toxins wouldn't recover anyti soon.
Feeling guilty, Natsu left the training ground, muttering to himself:
"Who knew Koga's training thods were as dirty as his strategies..."
"Tsk tsk, I guess the Poison-type Elite Four isn't soone to get too close to!"
After the afternoon session, Gastly hadn't fully mastered Toxic yet, but its adaptability to Poison-type moves had improved significantly.
Arbok's venom would also enhance Gastly's future Toxic power.
Even though Natsu had just been an observer, he felt he'd played an indispensable role.
Am I... a training genius or sothing? Natsu wondered.
"Gastly!"
Glancing at Gastly, Natsu noticed sothing was off.
Having absorbed Arbok's venom, Gastly's mist had turned a dark green, with small bubbles occasionally rising to the surface.
As Gastly levitated, the sound of sloshing liquid ca from inside its body.
A few drops of venom dripped to the ground, sizzling and corroding small holes into the stone pavent.
Gastly grinned sheepishly.
Natsu's face paled. "Let's go to the Pokémon Center!"
"Gastly?"
Before Gastly could react, it was recalled into its Poké Ball in a flash of red light.
The Pokémon Center wasn't far from the training ground.
Natsu rushed into the lobby, handed Gastly's Poké Ball to the nurse, and bowed deeply.
"Please take care of it!"
The nurse smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. The check-up will take about half an hour. Just wait here."
Natsu sat on a bench, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he nervously bit his fingernails.
Half an hour later, the ergency room's red light turned green.
The doctor, looking serious, removed his mask and addressed Natsu as he hurried over.
"In cases like this..."
"Doctor, is it serious?!"
"Well, in this situation..."
"Doctor, just tell !"
The doctor glared at Natsu.
"Gastly just overate! I'll prescribe so digestive tablets!"
"Huh?"
A glossy-faced Gastly floated out of the ergency room, surrounded by smiling nurses.
"Gastly!"
Gastly shot Natsu an annoyed look.
Why'd you send to the ergency room for no reason?!
Natsu breathed a sigh of relief but glared back.
"You nearly scared to death!"
Gastly's dark green hue had improved after resting, but its body still had a faint bluish tint.
The doctor explained, "Gastly just had a minor adverse reaction from absorbing another Pokémon's toxins. It's nothing serious."
"Besides, your Gastly has quite the appetite!"
The doctor poked Gastly playfully, then suddenly stiffened and collapsed.
"Doc, are you okay?!"
"Ahaha, just a little joke. I used to be a Trainer in my younger days..."
"Doc, you're foaming at the mouth..."
"It's fine, really! Hahaha!"
In the end, the doctor, with trembling hands, wrote up Gastly's dical report.
Natsu couldn't help but feel a renewed respect for the dical staff of the Touran Region.
Gastly's adverse reaction wouldn't last long—at most, a day.
Koga's [Toxic Manuscript] had docunted this phenonon and provided explanations.
Still, Natsu had panicked, fearing sothing might go wrong.
As the sun set, Natsu trudged down the street, exhausted, with a confused Gastly floating beside him.
"Don't push yourself too hard from now on," Natsu said, unusually serious.
"To , whether it's training moves or becoming a Trainer, nothing is more important than you!"
"Gastly..."
Gastly's mood seed down as it floated quietly beside Natsu.
At first, Natsu hadn't wanted to be a Trainer for his own reasons.
He was worried about his safety and wasting his money.
But after spending ti with Gastly, he'd started worrying more about Gastly getting hurt.
Since the Worldline Shift, Natsu had been pondering this question:
Do Pokémon truly accept training and willingly battle? Or are they forced to risk their lives by their Trainers?
Natsu wasn't against the profession of being a Trainer.
But personally, he felt no attraction to becoming a Champion or a Trainer.
He just wanted to quietly enjoy this world where humans and Pokémon lived together.
"Alright," Natsu smiled. "Don't look so glum."
He reached into Gastly's black mist and forcibly pulled its mouth into a smile.
His fingers tingled with numbness as he grinned at Gastly.
"Smile for ."
"Gastly~!!"
Tears flew from Gastly's eyes, but it desperately stretched its mouth into a grin.
What did Gastly want most?
To repay Natsu.
To see the world's highest peaks with Natsu.
Even if it ant getting hurt, Gastly would fulfill Natsu's wishes.
Though Natsu never seed to have ti, Gastly knew his Trainer's greatest wish was to beco a Trainer.
Otherwise, why would Natsu keep playing strategy-based gas?
This had to be Natsu's way of working toward his dream!
I'll do my best too!
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the silhouettes of a man and his Gastly stretched long across the road.
Natsu muttered under his breath, "I really don't want to be a Trainer..."
Gastly, eyes shining with determination, floated proudly in the middle of the path.
"Gastly!" (I'll make sure my Trainer becos a Trainer!)
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