Chapter 127: Gastly of Lavender Town
Although their business in Saffron City was settled, Asahi still stayed for two more days.
One reason was to oversee the installation of the "borrowed" equipment from Silph Co. in his estate. Another was that Bill had arrived from Cerulean City's research lab, and with access to the estate's advanced facilities, he was setting up a laboratory there.
The other reason… was Sabrina.
"I really don't have any left. Not a single one," Asahi said firmly.
Facing Sabrina, who had once again come asking for his special Pokéblocks, Asahi shook his head without hesitation.
He wasn't lying. He genuinely had no more of the special Pokéblocks on hand.
He still had some of the secret ingredients, but those were reserved for little Lugia's meals—no way was he giving them to Sabrina.
Still, her eagerness made Asahi curious.
Could my special Pokéblocks really enhance psychic power? Maybe I should give a couple to Gardevoir next time and see what happens.
Yes, this was purely for research purposes. No ulterior motives whatsoever.
Hearing Asahi's response, Sabrina felt both disappointed and relieved.
While she couldn't take a shortcut to enhance her psychic powers, at least she wouldn't have to endure that utterly humiliating experience again.
Maybe this was a good thing after all?
With that thought, Sabrina turned to leave.
Just as she was about to go, Asahi suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah, about Gary—go easy on him for my sake."
At least he remembered Gary in the end.
A bit of hardship was good for growth, but if this went on much longer, Gary might really start doubting himself.
"Since you're asking…" Sabrina brushed her hair back and smiled. "Fine, for your sake, I'll give him a badge next time he challenges me."
"But once I capture Articuno, I want to battle you."
Without waiting for Asahi's response, she released her Kadabra, and with a flicker of energy, vanished before his eyes.
Watching her disappear, Asahi raised an eyebrow.
Sabrina actually wants to challenge her superior?
It seemed his intimidation tactics weren't strong enough. Next time they battled, he'd have to put her in her place.
---
Lavender Town was perpetually shrouded in mist, with few clear days throughout the year. The presence of Pokémon Tower, combined with the fog's sound-dampening effect, gave the town an eerie, almost unnatural silence.
By the time Asahi and Green arrived outside Lavender Town, the place was as quiet as ever.
Green opened up a forum thread about Lavender Town's urban legends.
"Let's see the top-ranked ghost story…"
"They say some trainers encounter strange townspeople who tell them, 'There's a white hand on your shoulder.' When the trainer looks, there's nothing there—but when they turn back, the person has vanished."
"So far, over a hundred trainers have reported experiencing this firsthand."
Eevee, perched on Asahi's shoulder, tensed up. It clung to Asahi's clothes, not daring to move.
Seeing this, a mischievous glint flashed across Green's face.
Pointing behind Eevee, she gasped in mock horror, "White ghost hand!"
At that moment, Eevee's fur bristled, and without thinking, it dove into Asahi's jacket, leaving only two trembling ears sticking out.
Curled up into a ball, Eevee shivered in Asahi's arms.
"Come on, don't scare Eevee like that. It's already timid enough," Asahi said, rubbing Eevee's head.
Hearing his comforting words, Eevee calmed down slightly. It cautiously peeked out from Asahi's collar, scanning the area.
After confirming that there was no ghostly hand, it let out a tiny sigh of relief and waved its little paws in protest.
"Eevee!"
"My bad, Eevee. Here, have some candy," Green said, sticking out her tongue before 'reluctantly' handing over a piece of candy to appease the little fox.
"But seriously, my upgraded scanner can actually detect ghosts! Want to take a look, Eevee?"
Green pulled out a device resembling a VR headset and waved it in front of Eevee.
Hearing this, Eevee immediately covered its ears and shook its head furiously, signaling that it wanted nothing to do with it.
Asahi was interested, but…
"It's getting late. Lance sent me Agatha's address, so let's get inside Lavender Town first," Asahi decided.
Even though he wasn't afraid of ghosts, wandering around Lavender Town at night wasn't exactly the best idea.
Just as he spoke, his Aura suddenly flared up in warning.
Reacting instinctively, Asahi countered with his Aura, and in the next moment, a dark figure shrieked as it was forced out of the mist.
The shadowy figure let out a startled cry before retreating into the fog.
Eevee's eyes widened in horror.
"Eevee!"
It clung to Asahi, clearly wanting to return to its Poké Ball.
Green, however, had a better look. "That was a Gastly, wasn't it?"
Though it was only for a split second, the floating, round body and surrounding purple haze were unmistakable.
"Yeah… classic Lavender Town. You can run into Ghost-types just walking down the street," Asahi mused.
What a shame—the Gastly had fled too quickly. Otherwise, he would've asked if it knew where to find a strong Gengar.
As they walked away, the fog stirred again.
A faint silhouette emerged—Gastly.
Watching Asahi's retreating figure, Gastly let out a very human-like sigh of relief.
That human was terrifying!
It had planned to prank Asahi, but instead, it got scared itself.
But recalling the mysterious blue light that flashed from Asahi, Gastly's curiosity was piqued.
It was the first time it had encountered a human like that.
After a brief hesitation, Gastly quietly trailed after them.
As it vanished into the mist, the fog swirled once more, settling back into its eerie stillness.