Trainer's Gambit

Early on a weekend morning, Gastly woke the sleeping Natsume with a friendly Lick.

Paralysis effect triggered!

Natsume shivered, his trembling hand reaching for a Cheri Berry on the bedside table to cure the paralysis.

Chewing the berry with a blank expression, Natsume nodded at Gastly.

"Thanks for the effort."

"Gastly!"

Natsume had previously told Gastly that Toxic training could only be done under his supervision.

So, bright and early, Gastly eagerly woke Natsume and buzzed around the room excitedly.

As Natsume got up to wash up, he yawned.

He had stayed up late last night gaming with his wealthy patron, and now he had to accompany Gastly for training.

Is this what a Trainer's daily life is like?

How laughable!

But since he had promised Gastly, Natsume found himself in the rare mood for training.

Opening the System's Pokédex, he checked Gastly's currently mastered moves.

[Gastly, Ghost + Poison-type

Ability: Levitate

Moves: Confuse Ray, Lick, Hypnosis, Curse, Night Shade, Will-O-Wisp, Mean Look, Protect, Substitute]

Gastly had pretty much mastered all the moves it could learn before evolution.

Once it mastered Toxic, Gastly's "SubProtect Toxic" strategy would be complete.

Given Gastly's limited offensive options early on, Toxic was a crucial move for it.

"Let's go. Grab the Poison Gem, and we'll head to a proper training ground!" Natsume yawned.

"Gastly!"

The earnings from Nico Dou and live streams had come in, and combined with yesterday's side income, Natsume now had around 60,000 Pokémon Coins.

This gave him the confidence to train at a professional facility.

Although the hourly rate was a steep 1,000 Pokémon Coins, the professional grounds offered expert guidance and safety measures.

With a medical team on standby, Natsume could train Toxic with a bit more peace of mind.

Natsume chose a battle club called "Bull Colosseum."

Trainers could either pay directly or purchase a membership to access the training grounds.

But Natsume knew himself well—he probably wouldn't come here more than a few times a year—so he paid 3,000 Pokémon Coins to rent a small training area.

At Natsume's request, the club introduced him to an elite Poison-type Trainer for consultation and assistance.

This Trainer, named Nanami, was a tall, slender woman with sharp, raised eyebrows and a piercing gaze.

"So, you're the one training a Poison-type Pokémon?" Nanami glanced at Natsume. "It's rare to see a Trainer choose Gastly as their starter."

Since Poison-type and Ghost-type were both niche attributes, and Gastly had a long breeding cycle, few Trainers chose Gastly as their starter.

But Gengar was a formidable member of the Poison-type family, so Nanami had a soft spot for Gastly.

Natsume nodded. "I want to train its Toxic move. Your help would be appreciated."

"How do you want me to assist?" Nanami crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Battling? Or feeding it moves?"

Natsume pondered for a moment, recalling Koga's [Toxic Manuscript] and its insights into Poison-type Pokémon.

Unlike Pokémon of other types, Poison-types were immune to poison effects, allowing them to absorb toxins from other Pokémon to strengthen themselves.

It was akin to devouring different kinds of fire—the more they absorbed, the more potent their Toxic became, making it increasingly difficult to cure.

This theory was first proposed by Koga in the [Toxic Manuscript], which also documented numerous methods of mixing toxins.

Without the secrets recorded by Koga, others who recklessly tried to have their Poison-type Pokémon absorb toxins would only cause unnecessary suffering.

Thus, the [Toxic Manuscript] was an incredibly valuable gift!

"This isn't just Toxic... it's more like the Devouring Flame Technique..." Natsume muttered.

The Poison Gem could enhance Gastly's inherent toxins.

Once these toxins mixed with those of other Pokémon, the power of Toxic would rise exponentially.

This was why Natsume had come to a professional training ground and sought out a Poison-type Trainer.

Natsume smiled. "Just feed it moves, preferably Poison-type ones."

Nanami nodded and tossed a Poké Ball, releasing a fearsome serpent—Arbok.

Ekans were non-venomous before evolution, but within three seconds of evolving into Arbok, they could poison a Tauros.

Looking at the terrifying cobra, Natsume frowned. "Start with Poison Sting, please."

Then, he turned to Gastly. "Remember the method Koga taught you. Don't push yourself too hard!"

Gastly, with its quadruple resistance to Poison, grinned confidently and nodded.

Nanami crossed her arms and commanded, "Arbok, Poison Sting!"

"Arbok—"

Arbok flicked its tongue, rising up with its patterned body, and shot a sharp, venomous sting from its fangs.

As an elite Trainer, Nanami's Arbok was incredibly fast with Poison Sting.

But Gastly's reflexes were equally impressive.

Using Protect, Gastly formed a faint mist shield, slowing down the Poison Sting's speed.

Then, Gastly opened its mouth and chomped down on the Poison Points like they were chocolate sticks, making a crunching sound.

Nanami looked baffled.

What kind of training method is this?!

Even with quadruple resistance to Poison, she had never seen a Pokémon just eat Poison Sting like that!

After swallowing Arbok's Poison Points, the black mist around Gastly seemed to flow with darker toxins, growing deeper and more ominous.

"Gastly!"

Gastly grinned triumphantly.

Seeing Gastly unharmed, Natsume sighed in relief and smiled at Nanami. "Let's continue!"

Nanami hesitated for a moment before commanding, "Arbok, Acid!"

A glob of corrosive Acid shot toward Gastly. This highly corrosive liquid could weaken a Pokémon's Special Defense, and even Gastly might not withstand it.

Nanami frowned, only to see Gastly grab the Poison Gem with its mouth and charge straight into the swirling Acid!

"Gastly—"

To Nanami's astonishment, Gastly shook its head joyfully in the Acid, as if it were taking a hot bath!

"Gastly!"

"What the—?!" Nanami's eyes widened.

The Poison Gem's outer shell had been corroded by the Acid.

Gastly was licking the toxic substance inside the gem like it was sucking marrow, even flicking its long, crimson tongue around.

"Slurp—"

This horrifying scene left Nanami utterly stunned.

Even as an elite Poison-type Trainer, she had never seen anything like this!

"What... what kind of training method is this?" Nanami gulped.

"This is terrifying!"

Natsume was also a bit bewildered.

Was Koga's training method really this intense?

But then again, Koga was a Poison-type Elite Four member, and the [Toxic Manuscript] was his life's work.

Combined with Gastly's quadruple resistance to Poison, Gastly would always have the upper hand in Poison-type matchups at the same level.

Natsume's expression turned odd. "I mean, this is my first time training like this..."

"How did it suddenly become invincible?"

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