Trainer's Gambit

All afternoon, Gastly had been licking every inch of Arbok with its big tongue.

Sure, it was technically using the move "Lick," but Natsume 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.

Natsume's expression turned strange. He wanted to stop Gastly several times but hesitated.

Well... it's not good to interrupt someone in the middle of something.

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 come from?!"

"Anyone who can breed a Gastly like this doesn't need to come to a Battle Club!"

Natsume sighed. "I wish I knew how I bred it too."

This doesn't make sense. How is Gastly overpowering Arbok? Did something go wrong somewhere?

Seeing Natsume's sincere expression, Nanami couldn't stay mad. She sighed and recalled Arbok.

"Next time, don't come to this club," she said wearily.

Natsume blinked. "Why not?"

"Didn't you see my Arbok? It's practically drained dry!"

Arbok was severely weakened, and its toxins wouldn't recover anytime soon.

Feeling guilty, Natsume left the training ground, muttering to himself:

"Who knew Koga's training methods were as dirty as his strategies..."

"Tsk tsk, I guess the Poison-type Elite Four isn't someone 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 Natsume had just been an observer, he felt he'd played an indispensable role.

Am I... a training genius or something? Natsume wondered.

"Gastly!"

Glancing at Gastly, Natsume noticed something 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 came from inside its body.

A few drops of venom dripped to the ground, sizzling and corroding small holes into the stone pavement.

Gastly grinned sheepishly.

Natsume'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.

Natsume 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."

Natsume 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 emergency room's red light turned green.

The doctor, looking serious, removed his mask and addressed Natsume as he hurried over.

"In cases like this..."

"Doctor, is it serious?!"

"Well, in this situation..."

"Doctor, just tell me!"

The doctor glared at Natsume.

"Gastly just overate! I'll prescribe some digestive tablets!"

"Huh?"

A glossy-faced Gastly floated out of the emergency room, surrounded by smiling nurses.

"Gastly!"

Gastly shot Natsume an annoyed look.

Why'd you send me to the emergency room for no reason?!

Natsume breathed a sigh of relief but glared back.

"You nearly scared me 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 medical report.

Natsume couldn't help but feel a renewed respect for the medical staff of the Touran Region.

Gastly's adverse reaction wouldn't last long—at most, a day.

Koga's [Toxic Manuscript] had documented this phenomenon and provided explanations.

Still, Natsume had panicked, fearing something might go wrong.

As the sun set, Natsume trudged down the street, exhausted, with a confused Gastly floating beside him.

"Don't push yourself too hard from now on," Natsume said, unusually serious.

"To me, whether it's training moves or becoming a Trainer, nothing is more important than you!"

"Gastly..."

Gastly's mood seemed down as it floated quietly beside Natsume.

At first, Natsume hadn't wanted to be a Trainer for his own reasons.

He was worried about his safety and wasting his money.

But after spending time with Gastly, he'd started worrying more about Gastly getting hurt.

Since the Worldline Shift, Natsume had been pondering this question:

Do Pokémon truly accept training and willingly battle? Or are they forced to risk their lives by their Trainers?

Natsume 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," Natsume 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 me."

"Gastly~!!"

Tears flew from Gastly's eyes, but it desperately stretched its mouth into a grin.

What did Gastly want most?

To repay Natsume.

To see the world's highest peaks with Natsume.

Even if it meant getting hurt, Gastly would fulfill Natsume's wishes.

Though Natsume never seemed to have time, Gastly knew his Trainer's greatest wish was to become a Trainer.

Otherwise, why would Natsume keep playing strategy-based games?

This had to be Natsume'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.

Natsume 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 becomes a Trainer!)

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