19. Road to Pokemon Master

Chapter 21: Stories and Captures

Due to the fact that Alice is now handicapped because of the bike fall accident, Brock has joined in the journey as the three of them are heading towards Neon Town, which has the Normal Type Gym.

Right now they are near the ocean. Ash asks, "So Alice, do you have a Pokemon that you want to capture next?"

"Of course I do." Alice says with a smile, "Since I like Ice Types the most, why don't we try to capture another new Ice Type Pokemon?"

Brock says, "I heard that there are some Shellders living in the ocean, and if you have a Water Stone, you can have it evolve into a Cloyster, which is both Water and Ice Type."

"Or maybe we can just find a Cloyster in the sea." Ash says as he points at the Cloyster which is closed, meaning that it is taking a nap.

"It is taking a nap, how are you going to capture it?" Brock asks, and Ash takes out a Pokeball, and he says, "With his guy of course. Gengar, I choose you."

As the Pokemon appears, it starts to do some scary faces to scare Alice, but Ash says, "Don't do that, Gengar, I want you to use Nightmare on that Cloyster if you may."

Gengar just giggles a little before doing his own trick to get the Cloyster awake, then it is not happy as it tries to Clamp at the Pokemon, but Gengar manages to dodge the attack as it goes for the Shadow Ball.

"That's the same Gengar Ash used to battle in the Masters 8 tournament." Brock notes.

"The same one that is capable of Gigantamax." Alice says, "Though it did almost give me a heart attack after what he did."

"Now finish it with the Dream Eater." Ash says as Gengar goes straight into the Cloyster, who was being Hypnotized in the previous turn. And then Ash takes out the Pokeball and captures the Pokemon.

"Now that is a capture that I want." Ash says as he recalls his Pokemon. Gengar just gives him another scare and Ash just being baffled at the sight. "Okay, Gengar, you do know that it isn't going to scare me."

"So Ash, I forgot to ask you, is this the same Haunter that you got from Sabrina?" Brock asks, "As I recalled you captured a Haunter back then in the Lavender Town."

"Oh, well, it is not." Ash says, "This Gengar is one of my captures when I was being Professor Cerise's assistant. I am sure you want a full story about how we met, right?"

As the two nods, they decide to have a small camp near the ocean as Ash starts his story.

"As you can see... before the house becomes Professor Cerise's Lab, it was actually a trainer's house, and the Gengar was belonged to the trainer." Ash says. "But things aren't getting that good as the trainer tells him that he will be back as he leaves the house, since that day, he hasn't returned for him."

Brock says, "Wait...doesn't it sounds like your Charizard? His trainer also tells him that he would come back, but he actually abandoned it..."

"Yes, because of the promise, he would try to scare those who tried to move into the house so that the trainer will be back. But when Professor Cerise and his assistants move into the house, let's say that Gengar's tricks of scaring aren't going to work on him."

"Then what did it do?" Alice asks in confusion.

"Let's see..." Ash is looking at Rotom phone for the Pokedex, and he says, "It hides in shadows. It is said that if Gengar is hiding, it cools the area by nearly 10 degrees F. That is what the Pokedex is saying. And one day, it decides to hide in my shadow, and then I start to feel some bad stuff happening around me."

"What kind of bad stuff?" Alice asks.

"Let's see...there is one time when I somehow fall off the chair and I wasn't even shaking it, and when I tried to add some pepper to my food, it doesn't appear and when I shake it again, it ruined the food instead..."