I dashed up the steps toward my enemy, my sweaty hands clasped firm onto the red and white capsule in hand. The power I was about to dispel before me had finally met my anxious gaze, and those slanted eyes and that taunting grin stared right back at me.

The two Gym Leaders shouted for my attention but I was too focused on the ghost in front of me.

"Wait!" Shouted Misty.

"Hold on!" Called Brock alongside her.

"Get back here!" Growled the Channeler against my continual insubordination.

"I have to do it! I have to train harder!" I declared. "If I don't do it now, how am I supposed to face the greatest threat on my own!?

With every particle of fear I attempted to ignore. I tossed my throw as a proclamation of my resolve. Angel summoned her way out onto the field in my defense.

Her large, green eyes narrowed with fixed intent, and flexing her tiny limbs. Awaited my next order to command.

"Angel, Sing!"

Little Angel bellowed a tune that screeched loud that it echoed along the harrowing room like a church with a pipe organ. Exhaling this powerful tune towards her opponent, she intended to inflict him with status condition.

The being couldn't take the noise, he bounced from the screeching sound. His see-through coat hairs stood up from the chimes and his body looked heavy, like he was in a depressive state. Suddenly, he sunk towards the ground and like a burden; his form melted into a more liquified disposition.

The status affect is working!

Now the next question, which attacks would work against this Pokémon?

Would physical be able to hit him?

I then had another thought.

Wait, if physical attacks work against him, then.

"Double-Slap!" I commanded to Jigglypuff with a precipitous tone.

The pink ball of pointy ears nodded and rolled her way along the rough jagged floor quickly towards her slumped target.

The ghost remained aloof, but luckily for us. Sing was a success, and the Pokémon was drowsy and showed no signs of recovering.

Jigglypuff landed on her rubber feet and charged with her right limb for a right hook swing. Spinning it with agression, the attack had enough friction and speed to light up on command.

If I could just land two hits.

There was something else that surprised me about this whole attack. The Pokémon's physical technique went through his skin. Like he was invisible.

What!?

No, I could have sworn!!! Didn't Gastly still have the body to take physical hits from other types, like electricity!? What's changed?

"Leaf!" Shouted Misty from below.

I turned to face the two Gym Leaders and our Channeler down below the staircase. They were trying to get my attention about a mistake that I shouldn't have made so early through my encounter.

"You cannot attack Ghost-types with Normal-types. They are physically impervious to them!" Warned the Channeler with a worried squeal in her voice.

"What are you suggesting I do!?" I defied to our guide down below.

"If you want to save your friend you'll need to listen to me. You're Pokémon will not be a match to Ghost-types. They have abilities which render yours useless. Use a Pokémon that has a typing that doesn't rely on colorless forms."

Colorless? No, she means Normal-types.

I wanted to try and figure out what she meant by that term. All elemental Pokémon could be a match for the ghost itself, but would this particular Ghost actually have power of going against my Grass and Poison-types?

I had to test this theory quick before my Pokémon Jigglypuff would be wiped out on the field after he awakens from the status condition.

Gastly..

Gastly... Thats it!

Pulling out my red integrated device. I unfurled it before the ghost. The infrared camera scanned the being in front of me, but as the small computers screen rendered the image file of the Ghost, it still couldn't pick up its essence.

"Damnit!"

However, something important was recorded into the numerical slot of the device and as I slid the screen to view all the Pokémon I've seen or caught. I scrolled a glance at the two slots next to each other.

"Gastly."

The Pokémon I caught quite a bit ago.

He was listed as the ninety-second Dex entry and right below him, his PokéDex info picked up on number ninety-three, but his entry was unknown.

No image detected.

This Pokémon is quite possibly Gastly's evolved form. Though I can't tell, since it's taking on a different form all on its own.

So I clicked on Gastly's picture and was able to gather important information from before his capture.

"Almost invisible, this gaseous Pokémon cloaks the target and puts it to sleep without notice."

"Without notice.. Invisible..."

Once analyzing the main type on the entry.
The data gave me very important and valuable information on his weakness.

No way, I know which Pokémon I need to use.

"Angel return!" I furrowed, as I reclaimed my Jigglypuff within her ball. My friends finally reached my side and observed the device in my hand.

"I didn't think about it before but it seems, that device knows just about everything there is to Pokémon." Observed Brock to my right.

"You think it has something to do with Professor Oaks research?" Questioned Misty to my left as she observed the computerized device with as much awe as Brock.

"I don't know, I've only used it a few times, but now I'm starting to understand why I've struggled to finish my battles and fight correctly from before. This device records type balances between all Pokémon, you don't get the full data on each of them unless I catch them. It seems I got lucky with Gastly when he accepted me back in Rock Tunnel."

"You mean, you have a Pokémon that can face him?" Inquired the Channeler from behind me.

"Well you see, Ivy is a Poison-type which is Super Effective against Ghost-types. He can't really face off against an opponent if he only has one attack of this type. However you are right, my Normal-type attacks can be countered neutrally, this Ghost is not affected against it."

"Is there another Poison-type on your team that can take him on?" She queried with interest.

"Now that you mention it, yes, Lucy has the same type of attacks as Ivy. But her other attacks are just as potent with another typing."

The Channeler observed the slump form carefully. Assuring me that the only way we were going to defeat this thing was with time.

And time was a luxury we couldn't afford.

"Spit it out, you'll need to fight with someth—

"Already have," I nodded after quickly shutting off the device and placing it within my bag pocket. Whilst at the same time tossing out Lucy's form out from her Poké Ball.

The Gym Leaders themselves were quite awestruck at my ability to think on my own two feet. They were just as completely taken aback at the wealth of knowledge that the Pokédex had provided.

"That device sure is somethin' isn't it Brock?" Widened Misty.

"You can say that again, If she only has Poisonpowder as two Poison-type moves for her Pokémon what move would she need to land a hit?"

"Guess we'll find out."

"Lucy! Confusion attack now!" I pointed with fervent strength.

She obeyed and with enough time, she zapped the Pokémon in place with a powerful Psychic-type move. The vibrational energy intensified with every hint of frequency scurrying off her antennae.

His body howled from the pain, screaming with terror, like his willpower had been sapped from his immortal frame. His countenance fell from eager happiness to bitter loneliness and just as soon as his power had been weakened. The ghost phased through the floor. Indicating his utter defeat from my hands.

Then just as soon as this Pokémon had vanished. The room had suddenly enveloped in complete darkness and my Pokémon Lucy had vanished before my eyes.

"Lucy?..."

My Butterfree did not call back to me, but I could hear slight whispers of Misty and Brock but all sound had been drowned. It was if I was in a dark room all by myself

"Misty, Brock!? Wherever you are, can you please hear me?"

Even the second time yielded little results. It was as if my mind had become trapped.

"No..."

I turned around to dash towards the staircase of the third floor of the tower, but all I could touch was the concrete wall in front of me.

Where did the exit go?

Something did not feel right, the rooms orientation to where I needed to go, had suddenly changed within seconds after my encounter.

"Someone!" I echoed, hoping that anyone could hear my voice.

Am I possessed again?

This effort I was going through to try and strain my voice had become so debilitating. My efforts to reach my friends bore no fruit at all.

It was if my body wanted to move toward my goal but this Pokémon I was fighting, prohibited me from even trying.

Please, don't tell me, am I caught within this ghost's Curse?"

I ran towards the east entrance of the fifth floor but as soon as I tried sprinting toward the wall my legs and body fell down a large, black shaft.

"No." My heart leaped with fright as I tumbled down an impending hole. Gravity had taken over my soul and I started to lose my morale as a fell into deep purgatory. Down I fell, as if my own body had fallen into a blackened abyss with no end in sight.

Why is this happening to me?

All of reality had become distorted and I continued to fall. Baring down towards my heart as my sins had continued to represent my shame.

My eyes had caught a glimpse of a small light, only this light was no ordinary one.

It was an eternal flame from hell and I could observe a fiery Phoenix rising up towards the eternal shaft.

Staring back at me as my greatest fear drowned my anxious heart with fury. His heat conjured my bowels, soaring toward my throat as my heart sputtered.

"Please?" I inquired through the darkness.

Once the earth formed below my feet I could feel the warmth of this fire. The darkness then receded to a fiery destruction and Kanto was burning for what felt like thousands of years. A plague that had engorged all vegetation with the land charred it to blackness. The final days, where all our efforts of stopping Ensign were once again confirmed to be all but futile.

My feet had landed on top of the bones of all the Pokémon who had suffered the cruel fate of Ho-Oh's power and just as soon as I turned to face the ocean on the south end of Kanto's beach.

Everything I had once feared from my vision showed the harrowing death of all. Humans and Pokémon were equally turned into nothing but blackened bones, and smoldering, exposed skulls and raining ash.

"This can't be happening..." I shuddered with welled up tears upon my face.

"Graaawweeeerr!" Shouted the fiery monster from hell, as his wings expanded the sky for miles on end. This being consumed the fire on the surface of the earth. Absorbing the eternal flame as if the power of Ho-Oh's wrath had taken the very essence of life itself.

My fears of facing this being were pushing me to an absolution of death, in fact, I embraced it. If it was all it could do to conquer my fear, I graciously accepted it. To swallow me whole.

What was the point? How do you stop the inevitable?

My eyes, filled with tears that seemed to fall toward an eternal darkness that I honestly felt swallowed up in its bleak landscape.

"I'm sorry mom.."

"I'm sorry dad, please..."

"Forgive me.."

Just as soon as the fire had been engulfed within the giant bird's gullet, Ho-Oh sent it back towards me. Barreling with this Pokémon's intent to erase my very existence.

Is this a nightmare?

It felt too real to be a dream, because once the flames had encircled my vision. My world had became blackened again.

I had felt alone, no one was alive to comfort me when the world had ended. It felt like I was in a calamity of darkness that lasted for millennia. No one was coming to save me and despite my emotional state of turmoil.

My clothes were charred. My face blackened with the coal of death that I had witnessed eternal suffering for what felt like many years of life I'll never get back, forever.

It was harrowing, bleak, and my body had become limp, falling to the ground in despair.

I called out to the only one I thought could help me.

"Gastly." I squealed with pitiful shame.

"P-please help me..."

.

........

...............

.........................

..................................

..............................................

"I-I am all alone."

"I can't handle this burden any longer."

"Gastly. Please...."

Then as soon as I was about to wither and curl in absolution to this fate...

A light had appeared.

Darkness receded all around me and all I could see were Misty, Brock, the Channeler and Lucy who had watched on in concern as my body had been taken over by the Spirit that had racked my soul with pure understanding.

Then the Pokémon had appeared.

Gastly, he seemed so different from before, and I could see every detail. His spiked crown, his jagged sharp hands and his pointed, jinn-tail. He was different somehow almost like he used his body to alter his appearance.

"Haunt-haunt-haunt-haunt-er!" The powerful Pokémon giggled with delight. Waving his loose hands with a spiral. He enthusiastically placed them upon my round shoulders and he embraced me.

"Haunter?"

Then a light of warmth had overcome my soul. Haunter's power had quelled my current anxiousness as his body had phased into mine.

Once absorbed, I felt relief from a lifetime of regrets, almost like a cleansing was taking place, but not only that, my quaking fear had been replaced with renewed vigor. Almost like his positive energy coupled with his ghostly power had enlightened my understanding of him more.

I then felt his thoughts and within an instant. I had this awakening of who he truly was and it seemed he felt the same toward me.

Haunter and I became one.

But I was still me....

Now I understood what Red meant when it came to understanding the feelings of Pokémon.

The one thing I asked Red in Rock Tunnel.

"But Espers have Psychic powers." I claimed in contemplation. "Yet, you can sense Pokémon's feelings?"

"You were able to sense Gastly's feelings too, were you not?" He mused.

"To be honest, I can't sense their true feelings like you or Yellow can. I certainly wish I could."

"But you can sense my feelings?"

Red was right all along, I could sense it all around him. His caring personality and his sweet spirit of fire assisted in my understanding of Pokémon more, now when I'm with Haunter.

I've become like a violet stone with him.

"Misty, Brock.."

"Do not be afraid, I'm still in control. It was he who helped me break that spell. Violet, the Gastly I rescued from Jack's clutches. It was him that has granted me full understanding of his feelings and courage."

"What do you mean?" Inquired Misty as I turned to face her with a massive smile. My hair flailed in the darkness, like strands of snakes danced independently of each other.

My blue eyes had transformed violet in color and a fuschia, fiery aura consumed my frame, but this fire did not take over my flesh. We had now melded together.

I was now reborn as the new Black Clover.

"Now that he has dispelled this Curse. It has not been fully severed. His family, The Mother of All Souls is searching for the one she loves.... We must find him."

"Who?" Inquired the Channeler as she suspected me with her staff for any sign of autonomy I had left.

"The Ground-type Pokémon, Cubone."

"We must reunite them both."