Aoki was about to turn away with Murkrow and Slowpoke. It wasn't a difficult decision, so Aoki had no regrets.
There were no Gastly here that met his requirements, and they could always be found elsewhere.
Noticing Aoki's movement, the old Gastly hesitated for a moment before seemingly making a decision. He called out to a Gastly and said something.
"Wait a moment, there are still a few that haven't arrived." The old Gastly stopped Aoki, who was about to leave.
Aoki froze and nodded.
After waiting a while, a Gastly appeared in the cave with several other Gastly.
When Aoki saw the new Gastly, his eyes brightened. Just looking at them, it was clear they were different from the previous Gastly.
First, they had a more spiritual appearance, their eyes more intense, their purple gas more solid, and their mouths wide in an excited smile.
A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes as Aoki scanned the data of these Gastly.
"Yellow, yellow, dark yellow, yellow, pale green, dark green!" As the data appeared, Aoki silently noted the qualifications of these Gastly, becoming more and more surprised until he saw the last one. Its qualifications were dark green!
Pokémon: Gastly (Dark Green)
Type: Ghost & Poison ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel·fire.net
Egg Moves: Fire Punch, Shadow Ball, Mist
Basic Moves: Hypnosis, Lick, Curse, Night Shade
The old Gastly watched Aoki, staring at one Gastly in particular with a bittersweet grin, saying, "It seems you can judge their qualifications. This Gastly is the most qualified in our tribe and has been the subject of our key training. I had hoped he would grow here and become the leader after my death."
Aoki was surprised. It wasn't shocking that the old Gastly could tell he could assess the Pokémon's qualifications, but what surprised him was that this Gastly wasn't very high level, yet it had learned so many moves. Was this the result of key training?
The Gastly, who had been the focus of the old Gastly's attention, noticed Aoki's gaze. It curiously looked at him, its first time seeing a human.
It had always been fascinated by the human world, as the old patriarch had often spoken of it.
When they first learned that humans were here, they were so excited, they would have appeared immediately if not for being stopped by the patriarch. But eventually, they were brought here to see the human they had heard so much about.
"I've decided. It's him. I'm very optimistic about him."
Aoki said, without hesitation, walking directly to the Gastly with the best qualifications.
The old Gastly smiled bitterly, hesitated for a moment but didn't stop him. Since he had sent the others to bring these remarkable Gastly here, he had made his decision to let Aoki choose.
He hadn't expected Aoki to be so sharp, picking the one with the most talent.
The old Gastly spoke slowly, feeling his heart sink.
Aoki stood in front of the Gastly and smiled, asking, "Would you like to follow me? Come see the vast, colorful world outside."
Hearing Aoki's words, the Gastly paused for a moment, glanced at the patriarch with no objection, and nodded excitedly.
Aoki smiled even more brightly and took a Pokéball from his belt, saying to the Gastly, "If you agree, then come in."
Murkrow and Slowpoke also looked at the Gastly and seemed pleased. They knew a new companion was joining, and they felt genuinely happy.
All eyes were on the Gastly as it slowly approached the Pokéball in Aoki's hand, lightly tapping the button in the center. A red light engulfed it, and the Gastly was captured.
With the crisp sound of the Pokéball, without any struggle, the Gastly was subdued and entered the ball.
Aoki smiled with satisfaction. It was a pleasant surprise to capture a high-quality Gastly that had obviously been well-trained.
He also felt a sense of security, knowing he wouldn't have to worry about being attacked again.
Watching the most qualified member of the clan be subdued by Aoki, the old Gastly felt distressed. But now that a decision had been made, even for the good of the clan, he could no longer regret it, though regret wouldn't change anything.
Aoki released the Gastly he had just captured and said, "Welcome! Gastly, I look forward to working with you."
Murkrow and Slowpoke laughed together, welcoming their new teammate.
Gastly seemed lively and active, circling around Aoki and Murkrow, obviously pleased.
Despite being older than Murkrow and Slowpoke, it seemed to have a youthful spirit, and Aoki smiled, thinking it might bring some vitality to the team in the future.
The old Gastly appeared more helpless, but still pretended to be generous, holding back his distress.
Seeing the old Gastly's expression, Aoki felt a little lighter.
After capturing the Gastly, the old Gastly finally led Aoki to the entrance of the damp, cold cave.
The sunlight greeted Aoki as he stepped outside, the warmth of it bringing relief to his heart.
After being underground for so long, surrounded by Gastly, the change in environment felt quite refreshing.
Aoki stretched, and as his body made a "snap" sound, he prepared to say goodbye to the old Gastly.
When he turned back, he saw the old Gastly hiding far from the sunlight in the cave. Though he wasn't afraid of the sun, as a Ghost-type, he didn't seem to like it.
Gastly, too, appeared to avoid the sunlight, but there didn't seem to be any physical discomfort.
"Gastly, stay in my shadow for now." Aoki said with a smile.
Although he had just captured Gastly, Aoki trusted him.
Gastly nodded. For him, staying in the shadow was far more comfortable than basking in the sun, and he had always lived in caves. The shadow was just as good for him, even though it was smaller.
Aoki didn't recall Gastly into the Pokéball, since one of Gastly's future main tasks would be to protect him at all times. Letting him adapt to this now was a good idea.
He waved gently at the old Gastly and prepared to leave.
Eventually, Aoki knew he would return here. The mysterious stone pillar in the cave would bring him back. Moreover, now that he had taken one of the Gastly, he would surely return to their home in the future.
At that time, he would shock everyone!