Gaku's words were filled with excitement.
Silas neither confirmed nor denied them.
However, compared to himself, he believed that Ash would be the one truly chosen by Ho-Oh in the future.
As for why Ho-Oh had granted him these blessings, it likely had something to do with the Legendary Pokémon friend of Ho-Oh mentioned earlier by Suicune.
So in the short term, Ho-Oh probably wouldn't appear before the world.
After a brief exchange, the satisfied Three Wise Men soon took their leave.
Koji didn't forget to pull Morty aside and instruct him:
"Morty, make sure to treat him well. Do not show the slightest neglect."
"I understand."
The normally confident Morty appeared very respectful before the Three Wise Men.
After all, these three elders were his mentors and guides. No amount of respect would be excessive.
Once they slowly exited the room, Morty turned back to Silas.
"My apologies, Sir Silas, for keeping you waiting. You have come to challenge the Gym for the Fog Badge, correct?
As this is my duty, I cannot hand you the Fog Badge directly. However, if you do not mind, as the current Leader of the Ecruteak Gym, I can immediately conduct a Gym battle with the Badge at stake."
"Thank you, Gym Leader Morty."
Silas nodded.
He had given up trying to correct Morty's honorifics. From their perspective, it was a form of religious respect.
He had never expected Morty to simply hand over the Badge due to his identity.
As a formal Gym Leader, that sense of responsibility was proper.
Even the Cerulean Gym's three sisters never outright gifted Badges though, given their strength, it practically amounted to the same thing.
After briefly registering the species and levels of the three Pokémon he would use, Silas followed Morty to the battlefield of the Ecruteak Gym.
Big.
Very big.
That was Silas's first impression.
The battlefield was the size of a soccer field, and the ceiling height was astonishing.
Only then did he remember that the Ecruteak Gym had another nickname, the Angel Coliseum.
Whatever the origin of "Angel," the word "Coliseum" alone spoke of its grandeur.
A long history had its advantages.
While Silas was observing the arena, Morty answered a phone call and then approached him apologetically.
"Sir Silas, I have a request."
"Please, Gym Leader Morty."
"Our Gym has a tradition of guiding outstanding students in the city. During Gym battles, students are allowed to observe. Would you mind if they watch from the sidelines?"
Morty seemed slightly embarrassed.
Though minor, it was an oversight, Silas was different from an ordinary challenger, at least to Ecruteak City.
Silas didn't mind at all.
"Of course. No problem."
Protecting and educating the next generation was one of a city Gym's core responsibilities.
Otherwise, they wouldn't earn the trust of the locals.
Morty sighed in relief and gestured.
Soon, staff led about a dozen teenagers into the spectator stands.
Among them, five young girls wearing kimono stood out.
"Probably the next generation of Ecruteak shrine maidens," Silas speculated.
He stepped onto the challenger's platform.
"The upcoming match is a Gym battle between Gym Leader Morty of Ecruteak Gym and challenger Silas Alaric of Viridian City.
Each side may use three Pokémon.
If all Pokémon on either side lose the ability to battle, the match ends. Only the challenger may switch Pokémon during the battle.
Begin!"
The deadpan referee explained the rules and waved his flag.
"Gastly, go!"
As per Gym battle tradition, Morty, the challenged party, sent out his Pokémon first.
Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar were signature Pokémon of the Ecruteak Gym.
Despite the variety of Ghost-types, Ecruteak's Gym battles primarily used this evolutionary line.
In both Kanto and Johto, the Gengar line was famous.
A blue light screen appeared.
"Levitate Ability, Level 16 Gastly."
Silas analyzed silently.
Against the Gastly line, Zero's observational advantage was limited.
Gastly and Haunter only have Levitate, while Gengar's standard Ability is Cursed Body.
It was rumored that long ago Gengar also had Levitate, but that had changed.
The Level 16 choice clearly matched the Pokémon Silas had registered earlier.
"Then let's go Vulpix!"
Silas tossed a pink Heal Ball from his waist.
Yes, the three Pokémon he chose for this Gym battle were the three recently captured newcomers.
Compared to their six experienced seniors, Kirlia, Karrablast, and Vulpix needed formal Gym battles to sharpen their combat instincts.
Some skills could not be learned through training alone.
"Vul—!"
Vulpix's adorable cry echoed across the field.
Light snowflakes began drifting around it.
"Wow, it's so pretty!"
The children in the stands stared in amazement.
"This is Alolan Vulpix from the distant Alola region," a teacher explained. "It is a regional variant. Its type changed from Fire to Ice—"
But none of the kids were listening. All eyes were fixed on the charming Pokémon.
The snowfall gradually intensified. Cold winds swept across the arena.
Although Vulpix had only just broken into the Standard-tier in strength, its Snow Warning Ability was already showing power.
Under the guidance of its senior, Gigalith, and Silas's careful training, the talented Vulpix had mastered its Ability far better than most Pokémon of similar strength.
"Vulpix, use Powder Snow!"
"Vulpix!"
It inhaled deeply, cheeks puffing, then exhaled a long stream of snowflakes toward Gastly in midair.
"Gastly, disperse."
Morty waved calmly.
Gastly grinned slyly and faded into the cold air.
Powder Snow struck nothing.
But Silas smiled.
"In hail, Gastly isn't the only one who can vanish."
As he spoke, Vulpix also disappeared from sight.
Only the two Trainers remained visible on the field.
"I know! It's Snow Cloak!" one student shouted excitedly. "Pokémon with Snow Cloak include Swinub's line, Glaceon, Froslass, Vanillite, and Cubchoo!"
"Correct," the teacher nodded. "And in the newly discovered Alola region, four more Pokémon have Snow Cloak…"
Although Alola had not yet fully joined the League system, during Silas's travels, more and more information about the region had been made public, especially to the next generation of Trainers.
While the teacher continued explaining new knowledge at the sidelines, the two Trainers in the field were thinking intensely.
More precisely, Morty was the one thinking.
Because his Gastly had disappeared first. To prevent stalemates where both Pokémon remained hidden indefinitely, League rules dictated that after a certain time, the side that vanished first would be declared the loser.
This rule was created to prevent Ghost-type Trainers from abusing indefinite invisibility tactics.
In the current situation, Gastly had become the passive side.
Moreover, although invisible, Gastly was still being worn down by the hail caused by Snow Warning, something it could not avoid.
No matter how much he respected Silas, Morty could not accept losing in such a manner.
"If only I had Gengar out there…"
Morty thought helplessly.
As a Gym Leader, his strength was not for show, but the strength and moveset of the Pokémon he was using limited him greatly.
Given Gastly's current moves, it could not quickly locate Vulpix.
Seeing no movement from the opponent, Silas decisively attacked.
"Vulpix, find its position and use Icy Wind!"
Likewise, Silas's pride as a Trainer would not allow him to win purely through a technicality.
Morty froze briefly, then quickly realized the source of Silas's confidence.
Amid the snowstorm, a stream of blue Icy Wind suddenly burst forth without warning.
"Gastly!"
The purple-black Gastly was forced out of hiding.
It cried in pain, blue Ice-type energy lingering on its body.
The residual Icy Wind energy would slow Gastly's ability to disperse into the air again.
"Using the irregular distortions in the hail… Your Alolan Vulpix is extremely sensitive to Ice-type energy, Sir Silas."
Morty sighed in admiration.
This was actually a common tactic for locating Ghost-types in weather conditions.
After all, Ghost-types do not literally move into another dimension when they vanish — they simply conceal their bodies with Ghost-type energy.
In large-scale weather like rain or hail, their position can be revealed.
Weather affects them, and the falling precipitation subtly outlines their forms.
However, this exposure is extremely faint. Only outstanding Pokémon at similar levels can detect it.
"But I've found Vulpix as well," Morty smiled. "Gastly, ten o'clock direction, use Will-O-Wisp!"
Several eerie blue flames formed before Gastly and shot toward the indicated direction.
"Use Dig to avoid it, then jump out and use Disable!"
Silas responded calmly.
A small circular hole appeared in the ground where Morty had pointed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Will-O-Wisps struck the ground, leaving scorched black marks.
Immediately after, Alolan Vulpix leapt out of the hole, eyes glowing with mysterious light.
Although it sounds like a Psychic-type move, Disable is actually a Normal-type status move.
Psychic Pokémon utilize mental force when using it, but its typing remains Normal.
Disable prevents the target from using its last move for a period of time.
Simply put, Gastly's Will-O-Wisp was sealed temporarily.
Since Will-O-Wisp was the only move in Gastly's current moveset that could deal super-effective damage to Alolan Vulpix, Silas acted decisively.
Status moves do not deal direct damage and are unaffected by type effectiveness.
For the moment, Gastly had lost access to Will-O-Wisp.
"Gastly, use Hypnosis!"
Morty had been waiting for this instant.
Seizing the brief opening after Disable's lag, he gave the command immediately.
Gastly's large white eyes flashed red.
Because Disable required direct eye contact, Vulpix's body stiffened instantly.
"Vulpix…"
It let out a drowsy sound.
"Good," Morty smiled. "Increase the intensity."
Gastly's red glow intensified.
Thud.
Vulpix collapsed to the ground, fast asleep.
"Vulpix, wake up!"
Silas called out loudly.
This was the result of inexperience.
A seasoned battler would close their eyes immediately after using Disable to prevent something like this.
Even though Silas had explained that tactic beforehand, experience could not be replaced by words alone.
Still, after this lesson, Vulpix would surely remember.
"Gastly, use Lick!"
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Morty immediately ordered an attack.
Fortunately for Silas, Gastly was still far from learning Dream Eater. Otherwise, falling asleep against this evolutionary line would almost mean instant defeat.
"Hehehe~"
Gastly approached the sleeping Alolan Vulpix from the air with a wicked grin.
Its long red tongue extended.
Even without saliva, the sight of it dragging across soft fur was deeply uncomfortable.
Silas sighed and cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Vulpix!"
"Vulpix?"
The sleeping Pokémon visibly reacted.
Its body twitched.
Its large eyes slowly opened.
"Vulpix!!"
A terrifying face and a long red tongue loomed directly before it.
Alolan Vulpix's entire body fluffed up in shock.
..
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