"Gastly, use Shadow Ball!"
A sphere of dark energy condensed in front of Gastly, crackling with black lightning-like aura as the attack formed.
"Don't panic—use Double Team!"
In an instant, identical copies of Treecko appeared across the battlefield. Just like Double Team, numerous Treecko illusions filled the arena, making it impossible for the opposing Gastly to identify the real one.
"Hey... hey..."
Gastly's voice echoed like eerie laughter. If a timid person heard such a sound in the dead of night, they might faint on the spot.
Bang!
Gastly's Shadow Ball shot forward—but it struck only a clone, dispersing one of the illusions.
At that moment, the real Treecko suddenly moved, leaping high into the air.
"Tree!"
"That's right!" Ash Ketchum shouted.
All the Treecko clones rushed toward Gastly at once. Swinging its tail, the real Treecko struck directly at Gastly.
"Don't lose to him, Gastly—use Night Shade!"
This was a signature Ghost-type move. The user merged with darkness itself, becoming nearly invisible. Unless the opponent used a special technique, the real body would be almost impossible to detect.
"That's bad. Gastly disappeared. Master's Treecko can't see it at all. The situation isn't good for Master's Treecko."
Standing beside the battlefield, Emiya Shirō spoke while watching carefully.
From the start of the battle, Shirō had mentally placed himself in the fight, imagining how he would respond to Gastly's attacks if he were the one battling. This was a method Ash had taught him to improve his battle awareness.
Even if someone specialized in certain Pokémon, they still needed to understand others with different attributes. That knowledge could become critical in real combat.
"The so-called stealth ability of Ghost-type Pokémon is essentially blending themselves with the surrounding environment," Ash explained calmly. "Physical attacks are completely ineffective in this state. Only energy-based attacks can work—and that's only if you locate the opponent's position."
"And when they attack, they must reveal their true body. So the moment they strike is also the best opportunity to counter."
Though Ash spoke casually, his voice was clear enough for everyone nearby to hear.
"This guy can analyze the battlefield so calmly in the middle of a fight…" muttered Morty, watching from the opposite side of the arena in shock.
Not only was Ash directing the battle and guarding against Gastly's attacks, he was also analyzing the fight and teaching his student at the same time. Such multitasking was something very few trainers could achieve.
"So that's how it is…"
On the battlefield, Treecko's trainer took a slow breath after hearing Ash's explanation.
"In past battles, whenever I fell into a disadvantage, I panicked. It was the same when I fought Master… So the key is to stay calm."
He exhaled slowly and focused again on the fight between Treecko and Gastly, his concentration sharper than before.
"Gastly, use Hypnosis!"
Gastly suddenly appeared less than three meters in front of Treecko. Its eyes glowed with an eerie blue light as it tried to put Treecko to sleep.
But what Morty didn't expect was that Ash's command—and Treecko's reaction—were even faster.
"Close your eyes and fire Bullet Seed at the twelve-o'clock direction!"
Even without relying on Aura, Ash could predict where Gastly would appear purely through experience.
"Tree!"
The moment Treecko heard the command, it immediately shut its eyes and fired Bullet Seed straight ahead.
The movement was unbelievably fast.
There was no hesitation at all.
Such coordination could only happen when a Pokémon trusted its trainer completely.
Da da da da!
Boom!
"Gyaaaaah!!!"
The orange-red energy seeds were fired from Treecko's mouth like a machine gun, striking Gastly fiercely and interrupting its Hypnosis at the same time.
"At this distance, this is our chance! Treecko, open your eyes and use Quick Attack!"
Hearing the command, Treecko immediately opened its eyes. Without hesitation, a streak of white light flashed across the battlefield as it dashed straight toward Gastly.
"Not good! Gastly, hurry and use Night Shade!" shouted Morty.
He hadn't expected Treecko's reaction to be so fast. Almost the moment Bullet Seed struck Gastly, the next move was already coming. The speed left him no time to properly react.
"Too late—use Energy Ball!"
A sphere of green energy condensed between Treecko's hands before being fired point-blank at Gastly.
As a powerful Grass-type technique, Energy Ball carried considerable power. With Treecko's current strength, the move had already reached roughly B-rank level in destructive force.
Boom!
"Gyaaaah!"
After being struck by Treecko's Energy Ball, Gastly let out a painful cry.
Having already been hit twice by Treecko's attacks, Gastly had lost nearly 30% of its stamina. Treecko, on the other hand, had consumed only around 15%.
"Gastly, use Night Shade!"
Morty's command caused Ash Ketchum's pupils to shrink slightly.
Night Shade was a signature Ghost-type move. Its damage scaled with the user's power and battle level.
If the attack landed, it could directly drain a portion of the opponent's stamina. However, if the opponent was significantly stronger than the user, the damage would be greatly reduced.
But the move also came with a drawback.
While damaging the opponent, the user's own stamina would also be consumed to a certain degree in return.
(End of Chapter)
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