A week later.
In the Sun and Moon Forest, at the Fang Yuan Institute.
After confirming the professional assessment in January and the participation in the national competition during the winter break, Fang Yuan began preparations for battle.
It was now the end of September, nearly a hundred days away from January.
For these hundred days, Fang Yuan intended to stay in the Sun and Moon Forest for a hundred-day special training with the Pokemon.
In addition to training Pokemon, he had another task, which was to make sure the newly established Fang Yuan Institute was well organized.
Magic City University provided Fang Yuan with a bunch of facilities for free, but on this basis, Fang Yuan still wanted to add some more things according to his own ideas.
Another thing was that Fang Yuan needed a relatively quiet environment to prepare for the theoretical knowledge of the professional assessment...
The Professional Trainer assessment was very difficult and time-consuming, and the written exam and combat test were only part of it, so Fang Yuan had to be fully prepared.
...
The Sun and Moon Forest, even after merging with Earth, still had many incredibly eerie places.
The gloomy and paltry sunlight shrouded this area where the light of the sun and moon cast ghostly shadows mingled with spine-chilling growls, creating the illusion of having entered the Spirit World.
Inside the forest, which was like a maze, the grotesque plants that reached for the sky and the Bug Type Pokemon lurking in the darkness all gave off an ominous feeling...
Luckily, this was only the environment inside the Sun and Moon Forest. If the entire forest were like this, Fang Yuan probably wouldn't have felt like setting up the research institute here.
"Awe-Inspiring Old Lady..."
Looking at the special mountain cave in front of him, Fang Yuan called out, and the Glutton beside Fang Yuan couldn't wait to rush out.
From within the cave's shadows, countless shadows leapt, continuously forming various patterns and emitting a creepy "hee hee" laughter.
Meanwhile, ghostfires appeared within the shadows, illuminating the surroundings as the figure of an old lady wearing a purple cloth garment, holding a wooden cane, and with white hair, emerged.
"Gurgle~~~"
The Glutton circled around her, as happy as a child.
Seeing the Glutton, the time-worn face of the Thousand-year Gengar, now appearing as an old lady, also showed a trace of a smile.
Although it was hard to give the Glutton away, Gengar felt a bit reluctant inside, as it was its most beloved descendant.
The agreement to let Fang Yuan establish a research institute near the Sun and Moon Forest had this reason among others; if Fang Yuan and others were often nearby, then the Glutton could come back to visit from time to time.
"Bwoo..." On Fang Yuan's shoulder, Eevee carefully observed the Thousand-year Gengar now in the form of an old lady. Even now, the Gengar could still exert tremendous pressure on it, and if nothing unexpected happened, this Thousand-year Gengar's strength had long exceeded the Master level and might possess top-level combat power.
"Not bad, not bad." The Awe-Inspiring Old Lady looked at the Glutton, who was indeed doing much better under Fang Yuan's care than in the Sun and Moon Forest Secret Territory; its strength had also improved significantly.
Suddenly, the Thousand-year Gengar raised its head and asked, "The Black Flame that Luo Kuo mentioned is?"
"A mutated Ghost Fire that burns life energy and soul energy." Fang Yuan took out an object.
A Dark Stone that came from the Spirit World.
"Glutton, demonstrate for us."
Under Fang Yuan's instructions, Glutton flew back from the Thousand-year Gengar, holding the Dark Stone in its hand, beginning to absorb the spiritual power within it.
Spiritual power, this kind of energy, could not be well-absorbed by Glutton's physique; only a few Pokemon, like Night Spirits, could digest and absorb it, so Glutton could only store it within its body.
Although it was unable to digest it, Glutton could ignite it, using it as fuel for its Ghost Fire, just like how Chandelure burned soul power.
According to the conclusions Fang Yuan read in a document at the Magic University Library, the nature of spiritual power was extremely close to that of soul power and could be used as soul power.
There were two carriers of spiritual power, one was the "Cloth of the Spirit World," and the other was the Dark Stone produced in the Spirit World.
At the Research Mansion, in addition to the Key Stone and the Certificate of Kingship, Fang Yuan also obtained a piece of Cloth of the Spirit World.
But now, the Cloth of the Spirit World was gone; this expensive evolutionary item had been completely burned by Fang Yuan and Glutton...
The Cloth of the Spirit World was first drained of some spiritual power, then burned with the Black flame that contained life energy...
When the Ghost Fire contained both life energy and spiritual power, it mutated once again.
The Ghost Fire remained black and still possessed its immortal nature, but its power had greatly increased.
This proved that spiritual power indeed could be equated with soul energy... and used to enhance the Ghost Fire.
Glutton's Ghost Fire had developed two natures; the immortal nature that burned life and the enhancing nature that burned souls. Combining these two natures, the Black flame had turned into what it was now, an indomitable tide of Black flames.
After absorbing and storing the spiritual power of the Dark Stone, Glutton once again mobilized the life energy stored in its body and ignited it with the Ghost Fire, combining life energy with spiritual power.
The next moment!!
Glutton suddenly looked up, and there, at the focal point of its gaze, a black flame violently appeared in the shadow. These black flames, flickering like black lotus flowers, ignited upon the earth, spreading unceasingly, burning everything, soon turning into a flood of Black flames, emanating an aura that living beings dreaded...
It seemed as if any Pokemon that touched it would not only suffer from the burning of the Ghost Fire, but their very lives and souls would also be devoured...
Whoosh!!
Watching the Black flames, Gengar waved its cane and shot out a clump of purple Ghost Fire. As the purple and black flames intertwined, the Black flames, for a moment, seemed at risk of being devoured, yet they did not extinguish. After a few seconds, the purple Ghost Fire, no longer under Gengar's control, was instead swept up by a cluster of Black flames, becoming nourishment for them. In an instant, the Black flames continued to grow...
Awe-Inspiring Old Lady wore a complex expression, finding the Black flames quite extraordinary...
Fang Yuan judged that the power of Glutton's Black flames could now threaten Master Level Pokemon, on par with Eevee's Sun Fire in terms of strength and even more peculiar because of its immortal nature.
However, it was a pity that Glutton could still only control the shape of the Black flames and not whether they extinguished or not. The latter was very important; it determined whether the Black flames could be used in official battles, and it was a difficult problem Fang Yuan had been trying to overcome.
"If we could control it perfectly, it would indeed be a top-level technique."
"Unfortunately, this isn't my area of expertise, and I cannot offer any help."
Thousand-year Gengar shook its head. It highly approved of the Black flames; the Black Ghost Fire perfectly integrated the racial advantages of various Ghost-type Pokemon like Gengar and Chandelure, showing great potential and representing the ultimate expression of Ghost Fire techniques.
"I believe Glutton will be able to control it successfully in the future," Fang Yuan thought calmly.
The inability to control whether the flames extinguished or not was still related to the control over life energy. After evolving into Gengar and increasing on the life hierarchy, this aspect would definitely improve. If Gengar couldn't do it, then Super Gengar could. Fang Yuan believed that with the power of Mega Evolution, it would be possible to perfectly control the Black flames.
"Actually, the reason I came to visit you was for another matter."