Pokemon: This Trainer is Too Cautious!

Zubat had evolved into Golbat, and the strength of its wings had once again improved, allowing it to temporarily carry people in flight.

Early the next morning, Aerodactyl carried Ace, and Golbat carried Cynthia. After packing their belongings, the two flew towards the Abandoned Power Plant.

"Ace, what did you do with those Team Rocket Pokémon?" Cynthia asked, flying in mid-air, trying to bridge the gap between them as she looked at the silent Ace.

"Released them," Ace said flatly. "I don't have a poacher's habit of selling Pokémon. Rather than letting them continue to be controlled by Team Rocket members, it's better to just release them and give them their freedom."

"Mm, you're quite generous, aren't you?" Cynthia nodded, genuinely approving of Ace's decision.

If Ace had sold those Pokémon, the League currency he would've earned would likely be enough for him to buy a small property directly.

However, for Ace, while Pokémon might be hunted and eaten according to the law of the jungle, he couldn't bring himself to profit from them.

Perhaps some might say, isn't hunting Pokémon even more cruel?

But the truth was, even if Ace didn't hunt, in the harsh wilderness environment, weaker Pokémon would naturally be eliminated.

If they didn't become stronger, they would only become prey for other powerful Pokémon.

Nature was that cruel, but it was also because of this that Pokémon were part of the natural environment; powerful Pokémon hunted weaker ones, thereby limiting the numbers of weaker Pokémon.

Among other things, Caterpie and Weedle, two types of bug Pokémon, were practically food for most Pokémon.

If there weren't Pokémon hunting these two bug types, the number of Caterpie and Weedle produced by Butterfree and Beedrill each year would completely strip a forest bare of its leaves.

Cynthia was aware of these circumstances, so even when Ace cooked Rhydon meat, she ate it without hesitation or any psychological burden.

After flying for nearly an hour, crossing a stretch of sea, Ace and Cynthia finally arrived at the location of the Abandoned Power Plant.

"We're here."

Ace had Aerodactyl and Golbat descend towards the extremely barren and polluted land.

Before even landing, Cynthia started coughing from the foggy air around them. She frowned, saying, "The environment here is just terrible!"

Ace landed on the ground, looked around, and said calmly, "The soil around the Abandoned Power Plant has become barren due to industrial pollution, leading to very few Pokémon willing to come here. Except for one type of Pokémon..."

"Which type?" Cynthia pulled out a mask from her backpack and put it on, feeling a bit better.

"The Gastly line."

Ace glanced at the swirling mist around them. It wasn't mist, but rather a type of photochemical smog formed by industrial pollution.

This smog had a slight toxicity; it wouldn't do much in the short term, but prolonged exposure would gradually weaken a person.

Gastly and similar Pokémon, being Ghost/Poison types, loved this kind of smog. They could use it as food, effectively enhancing their own strength.

Because of this, a large number of Gastly line Pokémon had gathered here.

Ace came here for two reasons: first, to challenge Zapdos, and second, for the Ghost-type Pokémon here.

That's right, Ace wasn't here to catch an Electric-type Pokémon; he was here for Gengar!

As a very representative Pokémon of the Kanto region, and with the potential for Mega Evolution later on, it would be an oversight for Ace not to catch one here.

Moreover, there was a chance to encounter Karen, one of the Elite Four, here. Ace was also trying his luck to see if he could meet her.

"Ghost-type Pokémon?"

Cynthia became alert, and her Gible also appeared beside her. As long as those mischievous creatures dared to show their faces, they would definitely be met with a bite from Gible.

"You want to catch a Ghost-type Pokémon?" Cynthia looked at Ace, who had recalled Aerodactyl and kept Golbat out, understanding his objective.

"Yes, I want to catch one, but I'm not really interested in ordinary ones, so I'll see if there's one here that I'm looking for."

With that, Ace suddenly raised his hand. Golbat, already perfectly synchronized with Ace, understood. From its large mouth, Supersonic quickly spread outwards.

While Gastly could make their bodies invisible, their forms could still be perceived by Supersonic.

"Air Slash!"

After Golbat sensed the surroundings, it suddenly flapped its wings. A fierce wind quickly formed sharp wind blades, striking at the locations Golbat had detected!

The wind blades tore through the photochemical smog, revealing the Gastly that had been lurking within.

"One, two, three... Ace, maybe we should retreat first."

Cynthia instinctively started counting, but when she reached ten, she warned Ace, suggesting they pull back. There was no need to get surrounded and beaten.

Ace ignored Cynthia, his eyes quickly scanning the Gastly around them.

"Thirty-four in total, five Gengar, sixteen Haunter, the rest are all Gastly."

After analyzing the situation on the field, Ace saw the grinning Gengar approaching him, but he paid them no mind. Instead, his gaze settled on a particular Gastly nearby.

This Gastly was a bit different from its peers, which was why Ace's attention was immediately drawn to it.

A normal Gastly was a black sphere surrounded by purple mist.

However, that particular Gastly was a reddish-purple sphere with light gray mist swirling around it.

"Its color seems off, that Gastly!" Cynthia also noticed this and blurted it out.

"That's the one!"

Ace immediately decided to capture that shiny Gastly. Golbat changed direction, facing the shiny Gastly.

Unfortunately, a one-on-one fight was out of the question.

Led by Gengar, all the Pokémon simultaneously launched Night Shade, converging into a massive burst of energy that rapidly surged towards Golbat.

"Tch, troublesome."

Ace wasted no time, grabbing Cynthia and running. Faced with such a collective attack, Ace wasn't a Champion; at this stage, it was best not to show off.

"Boom!"

The Night Shade struck the ground, causing a violent explosion. Dust billowed up, obscuring everyone's vision.

And as the Gengar and their allies let down their guard, a black blur shot through the dust at incredible speed, aiming precisely for the shiny Gastly.

The shiny Gastly and the other Gastly had stayed at the back, but this figure was simply too fast, and the Gengar had relaxed their guard, leaving them no time to react.

The black blur slammed hard into the shiny Gastly, sending it flying out of the main group.

It was only then that the Gengar and the others realized that the black blur was none other than the Golbat from before!

And in Golbat's mouth, it still held a Poké Ball!