Gastly, Misfortune Never Comes Alone

"The test is limited to four moves! The battle ends when one Pokémon runs out of HP! Battle—begin!"

With the referee's whistle, the battle officially began.

Bai Zhou and An Xin gave their commands almost simultaneously.

"Gastly, taunt."

"Charmander, Smoke Screen!"

In the middle of the field.

Charmander's tail flames surged, and it took a deep breath, staring at Gastly's malicious smiling face. The thick smoke gathered in its throat instantly surged.

However, the next second, dark purple evil energy coiled around its body like a venomous snake, and an unnamed evil fire surged to its head.

The smoke was abruptly caught in his throat by this surge of rage.

Provocation, blocking and changing tactics.

"What?!"

An Xin's pupils contracted sharply, her fists clenched slightly, and she was startled.

Provocation as a starting move?

Aren't you afraid I'll just launch a direct attack?

The strategy that had always worked against newcomers failed today.

Was it read as a command?

No... it must be luck!

"Cough cough cough—"

The attack was interrupted, and Charmander coughed incessantly.

"Holy crap, let me read this first! Is this a test for new trainers?"

"Don't 'holy crap' yet, let me handle this. This newbie's got some skills."

"Not just a little, but a lot."

"I told you he might not lose!"

Gasps erupted from the sidelines, but Bai Zhou remained calm. He narrowed his eyes slightly and continued to give instructions:

Gastly, strange light.

"Little dragon, get out of the way!"

Anxin was anxious, but the little dragon was powerless to help.

I'm coughing right now, there's no way I can hide.

From Gastly's gaping maw, a distorted, rainbow-colored beam shot out, precisely smearing Charmander's face.

"Huh?"

The little dragon's vision was filled with flashing colors, and it felt dizzy. Suddenly, it slapped itself with its claw, trying to bring itself back to its senses.

Thanks to the effect of the strange light.

The little dragon got confused.

An Xin suppressed the unease surging within him and shouted sharply:

"Wake up! Use your dragon breath to create distance..."

"Gastly, press down, Shadow Ball right in the face."

Bai Zhou smiled and responded softly.

The chaotic little fire dragon, relying on instinct, barely managed to gather its dragon-type energy at the tip of its nose.

However, Gastly had already floated up to its head like a ghost, and an energy ball wrapped in ominous black energy rapidly condensed. It grinned and pressed it hard against Charmander's face, rubbing it vigorously.

"Gah—hiss! (I—am the Mandate of Heaven!)"

boom--

The Shadow Ball collided violently with the dragon's breath that was about to be unleashed, and the shockwave from the explosion lightly pushed Gastly away.

All that remained was a spiral crater, and inside it, a small fire dragon, teetering and seeing stars.

A critical hit!

Anxin felt a cold sweat break out on his back as he stared incredulously at the guy opposite him, who had his hands in his pockets and looked completely nonchalant.

Predicting moves, controlling the pace of the game...

It's textbook perfect!

You call this a rookie trainer?

The chaos is irreversible... We have no choice but to take a gamble!

"Charmander! Outrage!"

She gave the orders in a hoarse voice.

This is the last hope for a comeback.

"it's over."

Bai Zhou's calm tone contrasted sharply with An Xin's anxious demeanor.

"Gastly, misfortune never comes singly."

Misfortunes never come singly—if the target is in an abnormal state, the power is doubled.

Amidst the piercing laughter of the ghost, Gastly, like ink entering water, silently sank into its own shadow.

The next moment, the swaying shadow beneath the little dragon's feet suddenly boiled, and countless dark, viscous tentacles burst forth, tightly binding and dragging it frantically.

"Waaah—"

The red light of the Reverse Scale flickered within the restraints before finally extinguishing completely. The little fire dragon rolled its eyes, collapsed limply amidst the tentacles, and completely lost consciousness.

"Battle over! Charmander is exhausted, Gastly wins!"

The referee's verdict was resounding.

"Holy crap, we really won! An Xin didn't even have a chance to fight back!"

"Gast wasn't even hurt! Is he here to counter the fish bombs?! What a good guy!"

"Make way, make way, let me see what's going on. What? I'm late? It's already over?"

"See? I told you so! We won!"

The joys and sorrows of people are not connected.

Anxin silently recalled the little fire dragon, ignoring the noisy crowd, and walked expressionlessly to Bai Zhou.

Damn it!

Look at your ugly faces!

This isn't usually the case. I've never found these people so noisy before!

"Congratulations, you've passed the rookie trainer assessment. Please present your League identification so I can update your data..."

She paused, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Are you really a rookie trainer?"

If you walk by the river often enough, you'll eventually encounter a piranha.

Having fried fish for years, I was stunned when a fish slapped me with its tail—and the fish was the real culprit…

And he's so handsome.

"Little Assistant reminds you: The battle mission is complete, and the reward 'Move Combinations and Tactical Explanations - Elven Language Edition' (the perfect bedtime read) has been obtained. Please retrieve it from your storage space."

Bai Zhou glanced at the system pop-up, handed over his ID, and waited for Gastly to slowly float back to his shoulder before meeting An Xin's inquisitive gaze with a smirk.

"you guess."

……

The setting sun has bathed the streets in a warm golden glow.

Bai Zhou carefully adjusted his arm to make the sleeping Gastly in his arms more comfortable.

The little guy was working non-stop so soon after birth, he was really exhausted.

Extra food tonight! A treat for our hero!

After purchasing ingredients and returning to his room at the research institute, he gently placed Gastly on the bed, covered it with a blanket, tied on an apron, and started cooking.

"Chili peppers, cooking wine, salt... Hmm? Gastly, why are you up?"

"Crunch~ (Smells so good~)"

Gastly drifted into the kitchen, its mouth watering and its eyes filled with longing.

"Are you hungry? It'll be ready in a minute."

Bai Zhou turned off the fire, served the dishes, wiped his hands with his apron, and took out a beautifully bound bedtime book from his system space and handed it over.

"Read a storybook for a while, dinner will be here soon."

"Gah-shi? (Storybook?)"

Gastly took the book with its tongue, curiously flipped through a couple of pages, and was immediately astonished to find it to be a celestial being.

"Gah, gah-hiss! (Military, military treatise!)"

It suddenly looked up, its gaze towards the white boat now sparkling.

My father actually imparted all these unparalleled military strategies to me!

What trust! What deep affection!

Rest assured! I will surely conquer a vast empire for you!

Dinner time.

Bai Zhou watched Gastly, who was simultaneously weeping, reciting military texts, and gulping down food, and fell silent.

"..."

My Gastly seems a bit off.

I'm not sure, I'll think about it some more.

Gastly.

Bai Zhou put down his chopsticks and asked casually:

"Can you tell me... how did you wake up?"

While the other guardians of the First Emperor's Mausoleum remain asleep, this young creature has awakened prematurely.

As a family member, he must understand the potential risks in order to protect himself in advance.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it, just treat it as casual conversation."

"Gah? (Awake?)"

Gastly tilted its head, paused flipping through the book, and tried hard to remember.

"Crunch~ (It sounds like I was woken up inside the box~)"

Box?

Bai Zhou frowned slightly, and the image of the jade coffin emitting a soft, lustrous light in the alternate dimension of the First Emperor's Mausoleum instantly appeared in his mind.

If Gastly originated from there...

So here's the question.

Who... opened the jade coffin?