Chapter 55: Gengar

In fact, Cain had always had this doubt. Given Slowpoke's psychic ability, mastering telepathy should be something easy to achieve. However, Slowpoke had been unable to learn it, and Cain had found no solution.

Fortunately, they stumbled upon a Gastly who knew how to use telepathy, which would allow it to teach Slowpoke how to master this skill.

"Alright."

This time, Gastly showed no reluctance. Teaching telepathy to a Pokémon that should already know it wasn't complicated, nor was it difficult.

After agreeing, Gastly felt relieved to see that Cain wasn't making more demands. It feared that Cain might ask for something excessive.

Even though it thought that if its entire tribe joined forces, they could still defeat Cain and his team, the cost would be too high. Besides, it needed Cain's help with a task they couldn't perform themselves.

Gathering its words, Gastly explained, "I have lived here for many years and haven't seen many humans. However, not long ago, someone arrived here."

Recalling its vast memory, the old Gastly continued, "That human... was very powerful, much stronger than you."

Gastly looked at Cain, who showed no reaction.

"At that time, I only dared to observe him from afar, not daring to get close. But I could feel that, in reality, he knew I was there." Speaking about that person's strength, Gastly couldn't help but tremble.

"He left an object in the center of our old dwelling and then disappeared. At first, we thought everything was over, but it wasn't. That object began to absorb the ghost-type energy that was here..."

Taking a deep breath, Gastly continued, "The longer it stayed, the faster it absorbed the energy. Soon, the ghost energy that filled this cave was completely absorbed, and we had to retreat to the outskirts of the cave."

Although Gastly couldn't express many facial emotions, Cain felt its helplessness and asked, "Why didn't you destroy that object or remove it from there?"

"That's precisely what we want your help to do. We can't get close to that object, but you can," replied Gastly in a resigned voice that Cain clearly heard.

"If all of you can't remove it, what makes you think I can?" Cain responded.

The old Gastly showed an obviously frustrated expression and, after a moment of silence, said, "Come with me. When you see it, you'll understand."

After saying this, it turned and motioned for Cain to follow. The Gastly around them began to disperse, leaving enough space for Cain to pass.

Although the Gastly made faces and tried to scare them as they passed, they didn't dare touch Cain.

With an impassive expression, Cain followed the old Gastly, while Murkrow and Slowpoke stayed close, watching the surrounding Gastly to prevent any suspicious moves.

The old Gastly didn't stop their behavior, as it knew that these gestures were part of the Gastly's nature and couldn't be corrected. It continued guiding Cain deeper into the cave.

The cave was truly complex. In comparison, Tyranitar's cave seemed like child's play.

After passing through several forks, turning here and there, they finally arrived at a larger cavern.

This cavern wasn't completely dark; some unknown objects emitted a faint glow on the walls and floor. As they got closer, Cain realized they were glowing mosses.

The old Gastly stopped at the entrance to the cavern.

With its voice in Cain's mind, the old Gastly said, "This is it. This was our home, but now, due to that object, we don't dare get close."

Following the direction indicated by the old Gastly, Cain saw, under the dim light, that in the center of the cavern was an elevated stone with a Poké Ball resting on it.

Cain was surprised to see it. He had already suspected the identity of the person who had been there, and if he wasn't mistaken, it had to be Umbra, the deputy head of the Team Rocket shadow unit. With his power and presence, it was no wonder the Gastly didn't dare approach.

But why leave a Poké Ball here?

"Perhaps the mission's objective is this Poké Ball," Cain thought.

Since the old Gastly didn't dare approach, Cain decided to move forward on his own.

Murkrow and Slowpoke followed closely, always alert to the surroundings, ready to react to anything.

Why did Cain trust the old Gastly's words so much? Part of the reason was that Pokémon tend to be simpler in their thoughts than humans. If they like something, they show it; if they don't, they show that too. They don't tend to hide or disguise their feelings.

Although the old Gastly had learned some human customs due to its long life, it still had the natural habits of a Pokémon, especially when it didn't even realize those habits.

Another reason was Cain's confidence in his own power. With Slowpoke and its Teleport move, he could quickly escape if necessary.

As for the reward promised by the old Gastly, Cain didn't give it much importance. He didn't expect to find anything valuable in such a desolate place.

With this mindset, Cain approached the stone column.

When the Poké Ball entered the system's scan range, it activated. Inside the Poké Ball, which bore the Team Rocket emblem, a Pokémon flickered.

Pokémon: Gengar (Light Blue)

Gender: Male

Level: 48

Type: Ghost + Poison

Ability: Cursed Body

Held Item: None

Egg Moves: Scary Face, Fire Punch, Astonish, Taunt

Basic Moves: Hypnosis, Lick, Spite, Mean Look, Curse, Night Shade, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch, Payback, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater, Dark Pulse

Learned Moves: Snatch, Foul Play, Giga Drain

TM Moves: Rest, Protect, Sleep Talk, Toxic, Hidden Power (Water), Thunderbolt

Cain was surprised to see this Gengar's characteristics.

"Is this Umbra's Pokémon?" Cain murmured.

After seeing Gengar's wide range of moves, he couldn't help but think so.

Just the learned and taught moves represented a huge investment of resources.

Moreover, with Team Rocket's immense wealth, only Umbra could possess such a Pokémon on the entire island.

Since this was a mission assigned by Umbra, Cain was almost certain that this was Umbra's Gengar.

With this thought, Cain felt more at ease. As an elite-level trainer, this Gengar clearly wasn't part of Umbra's main team, probably just part of his second team.

In Team Rocket's ranking, light blue is considered an elite quality.

Among trainers, a Pokémon with elite qualities is already considered exceptional.

(End of chapter)