34. Gastly

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Hearing Misty's scream, Kai and the others hurriedly turned their heads and saw the so-called ghost.

The ghost's shape was identical to the woman in the portrait. She floated in the air, her body transparent and blurry, slowly gliding toward them.

"I miss you so much," the ghost softly murmured.

Kai didn't feel anything unusual, but Brock, captivated by her beauty, stood mesmerized.

"I miss you too..." Brock muttered dazedly.

The ghost looked at them, her expression softening. "I've been waiting for you to come back," she whispered.

Suddenly, a strange wind blew through the room. In the next moment, Kai and Brock's bodies were enveloped in the wind and began to float uncontrollably toward the ghost.

The suction was so strong that Kai instinctively reached out to grab something, but there was nothing nearby.

As he was pulled closer and closer, a pair of delicate hands suddenly grabbed his wrist.

It was Misty.

Seeing Kai being pulled away, Misty ignored her fear of ghosts.

"Where do you think you're taking them?!" she shouted angrily.

Gripping Kai's hand tightly, she pulled with all her strength. Despite being a young girl without much physical power, she refused to let go, even as the strange wind howled around her.

Realizing the ghost was a disguised Gastly, Kai seized the opportunity Misty gave him and shouted, "Charmander, use Ember! Jolteon, use Thunder Shock!"

Flames and lightning shot toward the ghost simultaneously.

The ghost let out a cry as the attacks struck. Losing control of the wind, the suction dissipated, and Kai and Brock plummeted to the ground.

Misty instinctively tried to catch Kai, but he crashed into her, knocking them both over. Brock, meanwhile, landed heavily on the floor.

The impact seemed to snap Brock out of his trance.

"What... what happened?" he asked groggily, looking around in confusion. Since entering Maiden's Gorge, his mind had been foggy, as if bewitched.

The ghost, frustrated by the interference, snarled, "You meddling fools! Stop interfering!"

With her words, a swarm of skeletal figures appeared, flying overhead with eerie wails.

"What are those things?!" Misty cried, clutching Kai's arm in fear.

Kai stood up, glancing at the others, who appeared paralyzed by fear. He shouted, "Don't worry! It's just a Pokémon!"

Ash Pulling out his Pokédex, he aimed it at the ghost.

Pokédex: "Gastly, the Gas Pokémon. Ghost and Poison type. Born from poisonous gas, Gastly is skilled at hypnosis and enjoys pranks. It can make itself invisible and pass through solid objects."

"Just a Gastly!?" Ash and Misty said in astonishment.

The ghost's form began to shift. She first morphed into an elderly woman cloaked in purple before transforming into a black, smoke-shrouded orb with sharp eyes and a fanged grin.

"Sometimes, I'm a legendary beauty. Other times, a mysterious fortune-teller. But my true form is... Gastly!"

Kai and the others stared at the Pokémon, whose mischievous grin only widened.

Ash exclaimed, "A real Pokémon!? Alright, let's battle! Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Pika! Pikachu!"

Gastly chuckled. "Battle? I'm in a hurry, so let me finish this quickly!"

Circles of ghostly energy emanated from Gastly, launching Hypnosis attacks at the group.

Recognizing the move, Kai shouted, "Watch out! It's Hypnosis!"

But before anyone could react, the hypnotic waves passed over them. One by one, Kai, his friends, and their Pokémon fell into a deep sleep.

Gastly surveyed the sleeping trainers with satisfaction. "Too easy," it said smugly. "Now, back to business!"

The strange wind returned, wrapping around Brock. Gastly turned toward Kai, but its expression changed when it noticed a red flash from one of Kai's Poké Balls.

A Pokémon emerged a Kirlia with green hair and an elegant, human-like form.

"Oh? You came out on your own? Are you trying to protect your trainer?" Gastly sneered. "But your Psychic moves are no match for my Ghost type. It's pointless to resist!"

Kirlia, aware of its disadvantage, didn't attack directly. Instead, it used its psychic power to release the rest of Kai's Pokémon from their Poké Balls.

In a flurry of red light, the rest of Kai's team appeared, including his prized Zapdos.

Gastly's gaze swept over the group of Kirlia, Ivysaur, and Squirtle and finally rested on the proud Zapdos.

"Four against one? I see this trainer has some impressive Pokémon... what the hell even a Zapdos!!" Gastly said with a nervous grin.

"Krrrraaakkk" (I want to Taste a Roasted Gastly, today)

Zapdos raised its head arrogantly, its electric aura crackling with power.

Intimidated by Zapdos, Gastly hesitated. After a moment, it sighed. "Fine. I'll let you off this time... but I'm taking him with me!"

Before anyone could stop it, Gastly vanished, taking Brock with it.

When Kai woke up, he found himself lying on the ground. Kirlia stood by his side, looking worried.

"You let yourself out?" Kai asked softly, rubbing its head.

Sitting up, he noticed Ash, Misty, Pikachu, Charmander, and Jolteon all sleeping nearby. However, Brock was nowhere to be found.

Looking around, he spotted the rest of his Pokémon, including Zapdos.

'Even Zapdos' Kai thought, piecing together the events.

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