It turned out that aside from looking a little scary, Madam Kaori was actually quite kind. Joseph didn't have to work very hard to get the answer Sato wanted.
"Gengar possesses a special energy within its body that wards off evil, so the negative energy on the outer mountain of Mt. Pyre can't affect it."
Hearing this, Sato immediately understood. When Gengar evolved, it had received a special ability from Sage Mingguang, even its eyes had turned golden.
Its personality had drastically changed too. It spent its days meditating or in deep thought, unusually calm for a proper ghost.
But because of that, it could settle down, endure loneliness, and focus on training its mental strength. That steady personality had earned it a reputation for being very dependable… and it truly was.
What he hadn't expected was that the energy given by the Sage could still have an effect now.
Gengar could ward off evil!
---
With nothing to worry about, Gengar's training continued.
The mist on Mt. Pyre usually didn't fully disperse until around ten in the morning, and it began gathering again by five in the afternoon.
So during this time window, it was Gengar's one-ghost show. Every day it trained until it was completely exhausted before stopping.
People often said that Ghost-type Pokémon were formed from the resentful souls of the dead, which explained why Mt. Pyre had so many Ghost-types.
By the fifth day of battles, the Pokémon Gengar encountered were growing stronger, although their numbers had significantly decreased.
And now, seeing the Sableye in front of Gengar, Sato knew it was its toughest opponent yet.
Mid Elite!
Logically, with Sato's training, it shouldn't be hard to defeat a Sableye, but things never went as expected.
This Sableye's offense, defense, and speed were all unnaturally strong. It didn't seem like a typical Elite-level Pokémon.
"Gengar, Sludge Bomb!"
Sableye's eyes were two gems, so it was impossible to read its expression. Facing the incoming Sludge Bomb, its fists burst into flames, it blocked with Fire Punch and remained unscathed!
Splash.
The ground suddenly turned into a pool of water, and Sableye slipped underground with ease, disappearing from sight.
Gengar whipped its head around. It was familiar with Sableye's move -Shadow Sneak- but still couldn't block it.
"Don't panic. Shadow Sneak!"
With Sato's command, Gengar also dove underground quickly. At the same time, Sableye emerged from Gengar's remaining shadow on the ground. Its attack missed!
"Toxic!"
Gengar's Psychic-type skills were useless against Sableye, and Ghost-type moves barely scratched it, so Sato went with poison to whittle it down.
Poison-type Pokémon using Toxic never missed. Purple blotches began to spread across Sableye's body, but it didn't seem to care, it swung its fists toward Gengar.
There was no time to dodge!
This was a pure power gap. Gengar's speed couldn't match its opponent's; after using Toxic, Sableye had already reached it.
Smack!
The fragile Gengar was sent flying, spinning through the air several times. Its held item, the Spell Tag, was knocked away.
Knock Off!
A relatively average Dark-type move, but it could knock the opponent's held item off, rendering it unusable during battle.
Fortunately, the Spell Tag was only used to boost Ghost-type moves, which didn't really matter against Sableye.
Still, that one Knock Off had already left Gengar severely injured. It was a total mismatch in strength.
Gengar was furious, and so was Sato; but beneath the frustration was a glimmer of hope. This was the kind of pressure Gengar needed.
While Gengar was still spinning through the air, Sableye was already closing in. But the severe poison suddenly took effect, momentarily slowing Sableye's movements.
"Gengar, Venoshock!"
Sato seized the opportunity and gave the command. Venoshock against a poisoned opponent deals double damage!
Unfortunately, although Sableye failed to land its pursuit, it still easily dodged Gengar's hurried attack.
Right after, Sableye dove underground again! It was another Shadow Sneak, but Sato had a strong intuition that it wasn't that simple.
"Gengar, Substitute!"
Substitute activated, shielding Gengar, but Sableye staggered backward from the same spot… had its move failed?
If it had been Shadow Sneak, it would've struck the Substitute, not failed. That left only one possibility: Sucker Punch!
Sucker Punch only activates if the target is using an attacking move.
Sableye was faster than Gengar. If Gengar had used Shadow Sneak like before, Sucker Punch would've landed first.
A single Knock Off nearly took Gengar out… if Sucker Punch hit, it would've been game over.
Sato, with extreme caution, had Gengar avoid that fate. Still, he couldn't deny it, this Sableye was smart.
Now, without needing orders, Gengar used Venoshock again. Even as Sableye charged in while dodging, Gengar didn't blink and continued attacking.
The Substitute was burned away by Fire Punch, but Gengar seized the moment and Venoshock landed!
With double power from the poisoning, Venoshock hit harder than Fire Blast or Thunder.
A devastating blow!
And with Toxic still active!
Sableye's body sizzled under the corrosive poison. It looked absolutely battered, though its gemstone-like eyes betrayed nothing.
Still, it charged at Gengar again. Clearly driven by spite and fury.
Its claws shone with purple-black energy. Sato instantly recognized it as Shadow Claw.
But… what's the point if it can't hit?
Just as Sato was about to command Protect, he caught a glimpse of Gengar's focused, borderline unhinged expression.
Forget it…
"Gengar, Venoshock again!"
"Gen Gen Gen!" Gengar let out a wicked laugh, something Sato hadn't heard since its evolution into a calm, meditative fighter.
Now, Gengar seemed to have reverted… back to that mischievous, unpredictable Gengar!
Venoshock launched straight toward Sableye. It dodged to the side.
But Gengar swung the attack midair, angling it so that if Sableye wanted to land its attack, it had to get hit first.
Brilliant move!
Sato saw Sableye's body hesitate for just a moment, but in the end, it charged into Venoshock.
Gengar lit up with glee… until, suddenly, three claws made of shadow slashed through the Venoshock and struck Gengar head-on.
A complete surprise!
Gengar had adjusted its angle at the last moment, cornering Sableye completely. But Sableye, unwilling to back down, found its own solution.
If it couldn't win… then it would go down with its opponent.