Upon hearing this, Cain nodded, not wanting to insist further.
He was about to turn around and leave with Murkrow and Slowpoke, as he wasn't really forcing the situation, so he didn't feel any disappointment.
There was no Gastly here that met his requirements, but he knew he would find one somewhere else eventually.
Seeing Cain's actions, the old Gastly hesitated for a moment, then seemed to make a firm decision and approached one of the nearby Gastly, speaking a few words to it.
"Wait a moment, there are a few more that haven't arrived yet," said the old Gastly, stopping Cain, who was about to leave.
Cain was surprised but nodded.
After waiting for a moment, a Gastly arrived with a few other Gastly into the cave.
Seeing the new Gastly arrive, Cain's eyes lit up. Just by looking at them superficially, he could already tell they were different from the previous ones.
First, their attitude was more lively, their eyes had more brightness, the purple gas surrounding them was denser, and their smiles couldn't hide their enthusiasm.
A spark flashed in Cain's eyes, and the system began showing him the information about these Gastly.
"Yellow, yellow, dark yellow, yellow, light green, dark green," Cain murmured in his mind as each data card appeared for the Gastly, becoming more and more surprised until he finally saw the card for the last Gastly, which turned out to be dark green.
Pokémon: Gastly (Dark Green)
Gender: Male
Level: 10
Type: Ghost + Poison
Ability: Levitate
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Fire Punch, Scary Face, Haze
Basic Moves: Hypnosis, Lick, Spite, Mean Look
Learned Moves: Rest, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Skill Swap, Snore
TM Moves: None
The old Gastly, seeing that Cain had fixed his gaze on a specific Gastly, sighed and said, "It seems you can judge the quality of Pokémon. This Gastly is the most talented in our tribe and has been our main focus for training. Originally, we wanted it to grow here and become the tribe's leader when I'm no longer around."
Cain was surprised, not because the old Gastly could see that he could evaluate Pokémon, but because of what he said about this Gastly. Although its level wasn't very high, it had learned many advanced moves, which was the result of extraordinary talent and dedicated training.
The Gastly Cain had been watching also noticed his gaze and curiously looked him in the eyes. It was the first time it had seen a human.
It had a great desire to explore the human world that the old leader often spoke about. When it learned that a human had arrived in their territory, it was excited and wanted to meet him immediately.
But the old leader had stopped it at first, though for some unknown reason, they finally brought it here, and it was able to see the human it had longed to meet.
"It's decided, it'll be him. I believe he has great potential."
With that, Cain approached the highest-quality Gastly without hesitation.
The old Gastly smiled sadly but didn't stop him. Since he had decided to allow these exceptional Gastly to be presented, he knew he wouldn't interfere with Cain's choice.
He just didn't expect Cain to have such a good eye and pick the most talented one right away.
"Very well," said the old Gastly with resignation, though he felt his heart break.
Cain walked up to the Gastly and smiled, asking, "Would you like to come with me and explore the vast and colorful outside world?"
"Kekeke~ Kekeke~!"
Hearing Cain's proposal, the Gastly was momentarily stunned. It looked at the leader, and seeing no opposition, it nodded excitedly.
Cain smiled even more widely. He took a Super Ball from his Team Rocket belt and said to Gastly, "If you agree, enter here."
Murkrow and Slowpoke were also watching the Gastly, excited. They knew they would soon have a new companion, which made them genuinely happy.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the Gastly slowly approached the Super Ball Cain held, gently touched the button in the center, and was absorbed in a beam of red light.
Click!
With a crisp sound, Gastly was captured without offering any resistance.
Cain smiled with satisfaction. It was a pleasant surprise to be able to capture such a high-quality Gastly, which had clearly been trained with great care. He was more than pleased.
At the same time, a weight was lifted from his shoulders; from now on, he wouldn't have to worry so much about being ambushed.
The old Gastly watched nostalgically as the most talented Gastly in their tribe was captured by Cain. Though it pained him, he had already made the decision and wouldn't change it for the sake of the tribe, even though there was no turning back now.
Cain released the newly captured Gastly and said, "Welcome to the team! Gastly, I hope we can work well together."
"Craw~"
"Yadon~ Yadon~"
Murkrow and Slowpoke also joined in the welcome with smiles.
"Kekeke~"
The Gastly, who seemed very active and energetic, began circling around Cain, Murkrow, and Slowpoke, clearly happy with its new situation.
Though it seemed younger than Murkrow and Slowpoke, its attitude was more immature, which made Cain smile. Perhaps this would add some energy to the team in the future.
The old Gastly sighed in resignation, though he tried to maintain a façade of magnanimity, while enduring the pain in his heart.
Seeing how happy Gastly was gave him a bit of relief.
After capturing Gastly, the old Gastly finally led Cain and his Pokémon toward the entrance of the cold, damp cave.
Seeing the sunlight again, feeling its warmth on his skin, brought a deep sense of relief.
After all, anyone who spends a long time in a damp, dark underground world, surrounded by ghosts, would feel uncomfortable.
Cain stretched, hearing his joints crack, and prepared to say goodbye to the old Gastly.
When he looked back, he saw that the old Gastly had stayed far inside the cave, avoiding the sunlight. Though it wasn't afraid of the light, as a ghost, it clearly didn't like it.
Gastly also seemed uncomfortable with the sun, though it showed no signs of physical discomfort.
"Gastly, you'd better hide in my shadow for now," Cain said with a smile.
Though he had just captured it, Cain already fully trusted Gastly.
Gastly nodded, knowing the shadow was much more comfortable than being in the sun. Besides, after living in a cave, there wasn't much difference between being in a shadow, though it was smaller, but for him, that was enough.
Cain didn't put Gastly in a Pokéball, considering that one of its main functions would be to protect him at all times. So he decided it was better for Gastly to get used to it from the start.
He gave a small wave to the old Gastly, signaling that he was leaving.
After all, he planned to return sooner or later. The mysterious stone pillar in the cave alone was enough reason to come back. Besides, now that he was taking Gastly with him, he would surely return one day to show off his achievements.
That day, he would surprise everyone!
(End of chapter)