Pokémon: Wings Of Shadow

"Gaasss~"

Gastly tilted its head. The purple ghostly flames surrounding it turned into an arrow, first pointing at Shiro, then at itself, and finally at Rookidee.

It wasn't impressed by Rookidee.

"Kii!"

Unbothered by the provocation, Rookidee didn't waste words. A bright white light surged around its body as it instantly launched an attack.

Quick Attack!

Its deep blue feathers cut through the eerie purple flames in a flash. The two Pokémon crossed paths in midair, yet neither suffered a scratch.

Gastly was startled but showed no concern. Rookidee, on the other hand, was fuming, completely ignoring the fact that its attack had no effect.

Even though Gastly was also in the novice level and a few levels lower than Rookidee, around level 8, its Ghost typing made it immune to Normal-type attacks.

Right now, Rookidee was still too weak. The only attacks it could use were moves like Peck and Quick Attack.

Gastly probably didn't fully understand type matchups when it provoked Rookidee so recklessly. But by pure luck, it had found itself in an overwhelmingly advantageous situation.

"You two, fight up here!" Shiro had already climbed the slope and called the two Pokémon over.

If they battled too long near the grassy area below, they might attract security personnel or League trainers. Given his lack of strength and official identity, that would be a major problem.

Shiro wasn't sure how Galar's officials handled these situations, but he wasn't about to take the risk of getting arrested and thrown in jail.

"Gaaasss!"

Gastly was the first to reach the dirt clearing on the slope. It bared its fangs at Rookidee, its swirling purple gas intensifying as its eyes turned pitch black.

Mean Look!

This move would prevent Rookidee from escaping. However, in this situation, it was completely useless.

Rookidee simply ruffled its feathers, unfazed by the attack, then continued flying straight toward Gastly with a Peck.

"Hissss~"

Seeing the fierce look in Rookidee's eyes, Gastly flinched. It suddenly had the feeling that this little blue bird was out for blood.

Panicking, it shut its eyes tight, its ghostly flames shrinking inward.

"Open your eyes, Gastly!" Shiro commanded sharply.

He was more than happy to watch his Pokémon fight each other. As far as he was concerned, this was their battle to settle. He wasn't going to step in and give either side an unfair advantage.

In the team, status had to be determined by strength. If someone lacked it, even if Shiro tried to help, it wouldn't earn them any respect.

"Rooki!"

The gray steel beak of Rookidee pierced through Gastly's ghostly body without resistance. Gastly had just heard Shiro's words but only cracked open its eyes slightly.

"Rook?"

Rookidee, confused as to why its attack hadn't worked, didn't give up. It turned around and continued using Peck.

"Gasss?"

Gastly vaguely saw a sharp bird beak moving in and out of its body but felt no pain or injury.

"Face your opponent, Gastly!" Shiro's tone grew more forceful.

Gastly seemed to realize something and immediately opened its eyes. It turned to face Rookidee and stuck out its tongue, making a mocking face.

"Ki-dee!"

Rookidee grew even more furious, its red, bead-like eyes locking onto Gastly. In a flash, its body became a streak of grayish-white light, darting forward at high speed.

Whoosh!

This time, Rookidee was even faster, slicing through the air with a sharp sound. But once again, it simply passed right through Gastly's body without causing any harm.

Gastly wobbled in place, its dark face full of mockery.

If it had known earlier that this little blue bird would be all bark and no bite, it wouldn't have been scared at all.

Rookidee let out a sharp cry. Furious yet helpless against this strange purple-black orb, it turned to Shiro for help.

"The Quick Attack you used is a Normal-type move. Gastly's Ghost typing makes it immune to Normal-type attacks." Shiro explained calmly. Then, he turned his gaze to Gastly. "Gastly! Use every move you've got! You have the advantage, are you really struggling to win?"

Gastly was still swaying in midair, showing no signs of attacking.

Hearing Shiro's command, it instinctively released a brief pulse of colorful light, but the glow faded almost immediately.

Confuse Ray!

The move was meant to confuse its target, but Gastly's level was too low. With insufficient energy, its Confuse Ray was too weak to take full effect.

Breathing heavily, Gastly looked exhausted.

Meanwhile, Rookidee flapped its wings repeatedly in the air. It was trying to use a non-Normal-type Flying move, following the training Shiro had previously instructed, focusing on sensing Flying-type energy.

"Is that all you've got? You can't even land a single attack? Keep going!" Shiro ordered.

Gastly, still panting, desperately tried to gather a small black energy sphere in front of it. But the orb barely formed before it shattered in midair.

Shadow Ball!

Shadow Ball was a high-level Ghost-type move. The fact that Gastly could even attempt it at level 8 was impressive. But its lack of energy and low level made it impossible to pull off completely.

If Gastly could reach the Beginner level and surpass Level 15, it would definitely be able to use Shadow Ball properly.

'That black market merchant wasn't lying. This Gastly has outstanding potential. Its parents must have been powerful Ghost-type Pokémon for it to inherit such moves.' Shiro was thinking while watching the battle.

"Gas..."

Floating in midair, Gastly wasn't thinking that far ahead. It only knew that its move had failed again. Its energy was running low, but it hadn't completely exhausted its strength yet.

"Gastly! Do you have no way to attack? Rookidee might not be able to hit you for now, but you can't hurt it either. You can't beat Rookidee!" Shiro provoked, trying to see how far Gastly's potential could go.

"Gas!"

Hearing Shiro's words, Gastly refused to back down. It gathered itself and focused on the little blue bird flapping its wings across from it.

"Huff..."

Gastly exhaled forcefully. Wisps of icy mist appeared, drifting toward Rookidee in slow, curling tendrils.

It was an early form of Icy Wind.

Though it couldn't fully execute the move yet, Ice was strong against Flying. Even in its incomplete state, the chill was enough to significantly affect Rookidee.

The icy air ruffled Rookidee's blue feathers, making it shiver. It flapped its wings and let out a sharp cry.

But perhaps this cold awakened something within Rookidee.

In that instant, it sensed something flowing between its wings. Instinctively, it beat them hard, releasing that energy outward.

Compressed air condensed into a sharp blade, slicing toward Gastly.

Air Cutter!

As a Flying-type move, it made sense for Rookidee to learn it. But being able to execute it fully in such a short time was no small feat.

The attack landed cleanly on Gastly, striking its already weakened form. With a final, dazed sway, Gastly lost consciousness.

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