While Kay was desperately thinking of a way to escape this terrifying situation, a deep voice echoed through the corridor.
"You are interesting, kid!"
Kay froze. His heart pounded as he tried to locate the source of the voice, but the dimly lit corridor revealed nothing except the terrific Gengar in front of him.
"I think that I would choose you as the first cursed player."
Kay's breath hitched. His eyes widened as realization struck him. The voice was coming from Gengar.
But what shocked him the most was that it wasn't telepathy; Gengar was actually speaking. Kay saw its massive mouth moving as it spoke, just like a human.
A memory surfaced in his mind. He had once read in a book that Pokémons in high stages possessed extraordinary intelligence.
The writer of that book theorized that these Pokémons, if exposed to humans long enough, could even learn to speak their language.
At the time, Kay thought it was just a wild theory. Now, he was seeing it happen right in front of him.
Before he could process this, something else happened that sent a new wave of fear coursing through his veins.
Several purple orbs began floating out of Gengar's body, slowly circling Kay. Their glow cast eerie, shifting shadows on the corridor walls.
Kay tried to move, but his body refused to respond. He could only watch as the orbs hovered around him as if studying him, waiting for the right moment.
With a flick of Gengar's fingers, the orbs suddenly shot toward him.
Kay clenched his eyes shut, bracing for impact. He expected something painful, something sharp, something unbearable.
But nothing happened. There was no pain, no physical sensation at all. Yet, deep inside, he felt a dreadful change.
His breath grew unsteady. His hands trembled slightly. He didn't need anyone to tell him what had happened. He already knew.
His face turned pale as he whispered under his breath, "I've been cursed."
A slow, mocking clap echoed through the air. Kay lifted his gaze and met Gengar's glowing red eyes.
Gengar said with a sinister grin, "Now you are officially cursed. Go search for another player and challenge him to remove the curse from your body."
Then, without another word, Gengar began floating back toward the ceiling. Just as the ceiling nearly touched his body, he paused and turned one last time. His grin stretched wider, its red eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Enjoy my game, kid!"
Then, he was gone.
Kay let out a deep, shaky breath. His body finally relaxed as the invisible pressure lifted. He had been trapped in place the entire time, paralyzed by Gengar's overwhelming aura. Now that it had disappeared, he could move again.
Kay's mind raced as he tried to recall every detail he had encountered so far. There had to be something he overlooked, some clue that could lead him to the other players. He needed to find someone quickly before the curse started draining his strength.
As he stood there, deep in thought, a sudden movement in the darkness caught his attention.
A group of Gastly emerged from the shadows, their eerie purple forms floating silently toward him. Their wide, grinning mouths and glowing eyes made them look even more sinister under the dim lighting of the corridor.
Kay's instincts kicked in. Maybe battling these Gastly would lead him to the other players.
He had no proof, but it was the only option he had for now. If he hesitated too long, the curse would start affecting his body, and he couldn't afford that.
"Get ready," Kay said firmly to his Pokémons. Growlithe and Eevee immediately tensed, prepared for battle.
Kay quickly analyzed the situation. Eevee was his best choice for this fight. Ghost-type moves wouldn't affect a Normal-type Pokémon like Eevee, making it the safest option against Gastly.
On top of that, Eevee knew Bite, a Dark-type move that was super effective against Ghost Pokémons.
He pulled out his Pokedex and scanned the Gastly. The results appeared on the screen:
Gastly
Potential: Yellow
Stage: Intermediate Steel
That was the strongest one in the group. The rest of the Gastly were in the Inferior Steel stage, with potentials ranging from White to Yellow.
Kay wasted no time making his decision. "Growlithe, use Sunny Day!"
Growlithe obeyed immediately. It opened its mouth and released a glowing orb of light. The ball floated upward and attached itself to the ceiling, flooding the corridor with a warm, intense light.
The dark space around them became illuminated, and the shadows that had given the Gastly an advantage started to disappear.
Ghost Pokémons disliked bright light. This would make their sneak attacks much harder to execute.
With the battlefield now in his favor, Kay gave his next command. "Growlithe, I want you to face the strongest Gastly. Eevee, take care of the weaker ones!"
Eevee's ears perked up as it prepared to fight.
"Keep using Bite," Kay added. "You need to improve your mastery of that move."
Even in a dangerous situation, Kay remained calm. He knew that every battle was an opportunity to strengthen his Pokémons.
If he wanted to survive in this brutal world, he had to become stronger as quickly as possible.
Growlithe stood firm, facing the strongest Gastly in the group. Kay knew this battle wouldn't be easy.
Growlithe had only recently advanced to the Intermediate Steel stage, and this would be its first true test at this level.
"Growlithe, use Double Team, then focus on dodging while attacking with Ember!" Kay commanded.
Growlithe's body shimmered for a moment before multiple identical copies appeared around the battlefield.
The Gastly hesitated for a second, unsure which one to target. Then, it began firing Shadow Balls, eliminating one illusion at a time.
Kay watched carefully. He noticed that the Gastly was slow in forming its Shadow Balls. That meant its mastery over the move was low.
This was an advantage Kay could use. However, two moves truly worried him; Disable and Destiny Bond.
Destiny Bond was a dangerous move, but Kay knew it was complex and difficult to learn. A Gastly at this level was unlikely to know it.
Disable, on the other hand, was much simpler. Many Ghost-type Pokémons could learn it easily, and it could be a serious problem.
Growlithe only had one effective move against Gastly, which was Ember. If Growlithe was hit with Disable, it wouldn't be able to use Ember, which meant losing all attack power, turning what should be a simple battle into a complicated one.
Just as Kay was analyzing the situation, Gastly stopped using Shadow Ball. It must have realized that it was wasting energy. Instead, it switched tactics and began using Night Shade.
Kay noticed the difference immediately. Night Shade was a much faster move than Shadow Ball, which showed its mastery.
Dark beams of ghostly energy shot toward Growlithe, who barely managed to dodge. One of the clones was hit and vanished, but Growlithe remained unscathed.
Gastly continued launching Night Shade in rapid succession, forcing Growlithe to stay dodging without many opportunities to attack.
But then, Kay saw something that made him react instantly; yellow orbs were forming in front of Gastly.
"Growlithe, stay very cautious against those yellow orbs!" Kay shouted.
Gastly was using Confuse Ray. If it landed, Growlithe would be left disoriented, unable to dodge or attack properly.
As the battle dragged on, Growlithe managed to land multiple Ember attacks while skillfully dodging most of Gastly's moves. The repeated flames scorched Gastly's gaseous body, causing it to wobble in midair.
Finally, after a final burst of Ember, Gastly let out a weak cry before falling to the ground, completely knocked out.
Growlithe panted slightly but stood strong. It had taken a few hits from Night Shade, but nothing severe.
At that moment, Kay turned to check on Eevee. The Normal-type Pokémon had already finished its own battle without any interference from Kay. Five Gastly lay unconscious around it, showing no signs of movement.
Kay gave a small nod of satisfaction.
See you in the next chapter...
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