Becoming a human Pokemon...
Ash's condition was somewhat unexpected for Gastly, but it seemed reasonable.
A Gastly that had survived for a thousand years and could talk would be a tremendous aid if it became his Pokemon!
In fact, Gastly knew how rare its existence was; even though Ghost Type Pokemon lived relatively long, those who lived for a millennium were extremely scarce.
Over the past thousand years, it hadn't focused much on enhancing its power but had learned many fancy skills and could even speak human language. So, after a thousand years, its power had merely reached the Elite level.
Gastly carefully considered Ash's proposal and finally nodded its gaseous body slowly under the gaze of Ash and the girl spirit.
"I agree. Young lad, you're quite decent. If you hadn't mentioned purifying her even if you won, I would never agree to your condition. That statement won my favor and allowed me to have a rough idea of your character, so even if I lost, becoming your Pokemon wouldn't be too painful."
This was how Gastly explained its decision to agree to Ash's condition, not just for the girl, but also because of Ash's demonstrated character.
The fact that he would purify her soul regardless of victory already said a lot about his nature.
Misty, who was behind Ash, and Brock, who was beside him, felt a bit perplexed. Was the battle to capture about to start? What exactly were the terms discussed?
Purifying the girl's spirit? Although Ash said there was a spirit, they couldn't see it at all!
"Do you want to see what the girl looks like?" Ash asked Brock and Misty.
Misty, though a little scared, let her curiosity triumph over her fear, nodding to Ash with a determined expression.
Brock, on the other hand, was less afraid and more curious.
"Hold on a second, Gastly." Ash apologized to Gastly, waving his hand, then placed his palm on Misty's delicate shoulder.
The next second, a blue glow emanated from Ash and slowly transferred to Misty, who felt a warm current flow into her body from her shoulder.
Instantly, she felt very buoyant, and her once chilly body became warm all of a sudden.
This power... is it Aura Power?
With Aura Power infused into Misty's body, she finally saw the girl Ash had spoken about.
Although her body appeared slightly transparent, her fair skin was visible, her dress fluttered in the breeze, and her expression seemed quite pitiful.
Misty, who had initially been somewhat afraid of ghosts, lost all fear upon seeing the girl's appearance!
"So beautiful... are all ghosts this pretty? If so, maybe ghosts aren't that scary after all."
"Hey, this is still her natural form, not yet an anguished, vengeful spirit. If her situation worsened, she'd scare you enough to wet your pants," Gastly cheerfully said on the side, eyes filled with surprise.
It only knew a bit about Aura Power but never imagined its capability was so extensive.
It could even let a girl with no special abilities see spirits, which was truly remarkable.
Later, Ash also showed Brock the spirit's appearance, and Brock was instantly captivated. This was the girl he had seen while hypnotized!
Even without the influence of hypnosis, he might have been drawn here by the girl. James seemed indeed quite unjustly blamed, but Brock's arrival wasn't a coincidence...
After showing both of them the girl's appearance, Ash walked out from between them: "You two should stand back a bit; the battle range might be quite large."
An Elite level battle might just flatten this entire place!
The destructive power of an Elite is that terrifying. If trainers above the Elite level were to battle in an arena, barriers would have to be set up to prevent the audience from being affected.
Thus, it was naturally better for Misty and Brock to stand farther away.
"Wait, Ash, do you have a Pokemon that can handle this Gastly? Its level is at least above Gym Level!" Misty asked worriedly.
Earlier, they had been too shocked by Ash's abilities and his astonishing declaration of wanting to capture Gastly to remember that Gastly's level was beyond Ash's league.
Currently, Ash's Pikachu was only at the Elite Mid-Level, having leveled up a bit after leaving the Vermilion Gym.
The speed of leveling up was impressive, but compared to Gastly, it was simply not on the same level.
Even with a cap, it wouldn't suffice!
Gym Level wasn't something an Elite Level could compete with, let alone that Gym Level was their lowest guess. This Gastly might be even stronger.
Hearing this, Ash also paused for a moment before saying to Gastly, "Gastly, your level should be at Elite Advanced, right? My strongest Pokemon is only at Elite level. If you don't mind, how about letting me fight two against one?"
Brock & Misty: ???
"Wait, Ash, what did you say? Elite Advanced? Are you sure you didn't get it wrong?" Brock asked frantically.
Ash shook his head: "Even though my knowledge isn't as deep as yours, I'm certain through my Aura sensing and my own eyes' observation, Gastly's level is indeed Elite Advanced."