Pokemon: I am Gary

After a night's rest, Caitlin returned to her lively state.

This girl truly embodies the spirit of carefree living.

To expedite their journey, Gary and Caitlin did not disembark at Maiden's Peak and headed directly to Lavender Town, which is less than five kilometers from Saffron City.

Looking at the dilapidated streets, the fog that enveloped the area during the day, and the distant, looming Pokémon Tower, Gary couldn't help but twitch his mouth.

"This is practically a ghost town! Why hasn't it been decommissioned yet?!"

Caitlin floated behind Gary, excitedly looking around and rubbing her hands together. "How thrilling! It's even more like a haunted house than Shauntal's room!"

Gary felt he was about to burst with sarcasm. "What kind of nonsense is that? Why would a girl's room resemble a haunted house? And aren't psychics supposed to dislike Ghost-type Pokémon? Why are you so excited?"

"Who says psychics don't like ghosts?" Caitlin replied, her hands behind her back as she floated playfully beside him. "Essentially, souls are collections of mental energy, and psychic abilities and Ghost-types are inherently intertwined! That's why I get along so well with Shauntal, who is also a Ghost-type."

However, both she and Shauntal disliked Grimsley, the dark-type user.

Gary scratched his head in confusion. So because of the existence of dark types, the Unovan Psychic Elite Four and Ghost Elite Four have united against them?

This fits the style of how the Elite Four are chosen; each member specializes in Fighting, Dark, Psychic, or Ghost types!

Fighting counters Dark, Dark counters Psychic and Ghost, Psychic and Ghost hurt each other... and Ghost counters Fighting.

Although it's not entirely rigorous, it forms a complete loop. This structure ensures that if one member encounters problems, there is someone else to effectively counter them.

"Are you not heading to Saffron City? Why did we detour here?" Caitlin asked curiously.

As they walked through the dense fog toward the town's center and Pokémon Tower, Gary explained, "Ghost Pokémon like Gastly have very high potential. Lavender Town serves as a resting place for souls, making it a perfect habitat for Gastly."

Arriving at the entrance of Pokémon Tower, eerie laughter echoed around them.

Caitlin looked at Gary. "Let's go inside!"

Gary shook his head with a smile. "Not so fast; I don't want to trip over something or get hit by a chandelier and have my soul fly out of my body. Come on out, Eevee!"

Cradling Eevee in his arms, Gary nodded. "Ready!"

"Oh~ I see! Your Eevee can see through this skill!" Caitlin realized suddenly.

"Exactly~ Let's go find some Gastly to play with." Holding Eevee tightly, Gary pushed open the door to Pokémon Tower.

A chilling wind swept through as Caitlin shivered in her thin attire. "Ghost-types are cute too; it's just this temperature that's hard to handle."

"Ha ha! On the bright side, we can save on air conditioning in summer," Gary chuckled.

They entered the first floor of Pokémon Tower, which served as a banquet hall with wide visibility.

Gary glanced at the cracked floorboards and doubted whether stepping on them would send him crashing down to the basement below where Gastly lived—filled with amusement rides and televisions…

"Caitlin, can you use your psychic powers to let us float over there directly to that door?" He pointed to the restaurant door at the end of the room.

"Hmm… no need for that," Caitlin said as she raised her small hand and snapped her fingers.

Whoosh! Suddenly, Gary found himself standing in front of the restaurant.

A long table capable of seating dozens was laid with pristine tablecloths and neatly arranged fine china.

The grand chandelier above sparkled brilliantly as Caitlin was momentarily speechless. "It's so tidy here… even cleaner than Shauntal's house…"

Gary couldn't help but wonder if Gastly had some hidden talent for housework.

At the entrance of Pokémon Tower where they had just been standing, space suddenly warped as a Gastly appeared with its tongue out, looking bewildered.

"Who were those two? Did they just whoosh away? Are they ghosts?"

Ah!!! The Gastly's eyes nearly popped out in terror!

"Gastly~ Wait! I'm supposed to be the ghost here—so it's all good…" After realizing this, the Gastly sighed in relief but then started giggling at itself.

Buzz~ A Gengar floated up from below and smacked Gastly with a large white paper fan as a regular attack.

Smack!! The hit sent Gastly flying far away with its face all twisted from the blow.

"Gastly hee hee hee~" Another Gastly appeared next to Gengar; these two mischievous spirits laughed uncontrollably together.

"Gengar~" Gengar pointed toward the restaurant. Gastly nodded in agreement as both became transparent again and floated toward the dining area.

Caitlin sat at the dining table swinging her little feet back and forth happily. "Gary, how are you going to call out those Gastly? They haven't played any pranks yet; it's so boring!"

Gary revealed a mischievous grin, pulling out a ball—not a Poké Ball, but a toy that Eevee and Growlithe usually played with.

"Watch this~ I'm throwing it!" He tossed the ball toward the entrance with a perfect straight throw.

"Eevee!!" Eevee's eyes sparkled as it kicked its little legs, ready to dash after it.

However, suddenly, the ball hovered mysteriously in mid-air.

"Ha ha ha~ Ptooey!" A Gastly rolled its eyes and spat the toy ball out of its mouth.

Seeing the damp ball on the floor, with a hint of purple poison clinging to it, Eevee was furious!

"Eevee!" With fur bristling, Eevee leaped into the air and launched a Shadow Ball at Gastly.

"o≧▽≦o Ha ha ha~" Gastly thought Eevee was playing along and vanished again in a flash.

At that moment, the entire room began to sway left and right, sending the dishes on the table flying.

In the corner, Gengar covered its mouth, stifling laughter; scaring people was just too amusing for it.

As a spirit Pokémon that had lived for hundreds of years, most Ghost-types wouldn't harm humans unless provoked—except for a few malicious ones like Mimikyu or Trevenant. Generally speaking, they were playful rather than harmful.

Among them, Gastly was particularly comical; they were like goofy dogs in the ghost family, enjoying scaring people, causing chaos, and having quirky thought processes. They couldn't stand being bored.

Just then, Caitlin's playful spirit surged; her blue eyes sparkled as she used her immense psychic power to control the entire dining table and dishes, bringing them back to their original positions without a sound.

Gengar froze mid-movement, confused.

"Gengar▔□▔? Gengar? This… I've never messed up before…"

Watching Caitlin tease Gengar made Gary chuckle as he clapped his hands. "Eevee, use Detect—let's reveal our three treasures!"

Whoosh—Eevee's eyes glowed red as it scanned the room, instantly exposing all Gastly and Gastly's antics in plain sight.

Gengar squatted in the corner drawing circles on the floor; his usual tricks had failed this time!

Realizing they were being watched by Gary and Caitlin, Gastly suddenly panicked.

"Oh no! We've been found out!!"

In a frenzy, Gastly grabbed Gastly and they both attempted to flee.

But Gengar turned around and spotted Eevee with its "friendly" gaze.

Chomp! The little guy bit down hard on Gengar's rear end without hesitation.

"〒▽〒 Gengar!!" Gengar yelped in pain as it dashed around wildly with Eevee hanging on for dear life.

The carefree Gastly and Haunter were still laughing at Gengar despite the commotion…

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gary pulled out his Pokédex to scan. Three Ghost-type Pokémon: two talents elites and one champion.

As expected, this Gengar had exceptional talent to naturally evolve into its final form.

"Alright, Eevee, let go of his rear," Gary called out to Gengar.

Somewhat confused but obedient, Gengar dragged Eevee back to Gary's side.

"Don't be nervous; even though we want to capture a Ghost-type Pokémon, I don't intend to fight you," Gary said as he removed Eevee from Gengar's backside.

Caitlin sat nearby with interest as she observed Gary's actions.

Having been saved by Gary from embarrassment, Gengar and its friends sensed that Gary and Caitlin meant no harm; they seemed quite fun instead. So they approached curiously.

Gary took out some Pokémon food; one of the spirits shared a bit. Then he clapped his hands. "It's still early; why don't you take us to your secret base for some fun? I think we can talk there."

Hearing that Gary wanted to play with them for a while made Gengar and its lively companions instantly excited. They zipped around joyfully before leading Gary and Caitlin toward the basement.

Caitlin looked at Gary curiously. He nodded reassuringly. "It's fine; their secret base is really fun. Just relax."

Tilting her head slightly, Caitlin then lay down on top of Gengar's head as it happily waddled ahead with its big belly showing off its toothy grin.