"Hiss-heh—"
The Gastly was still trailing along behind, convinced its hiding was flawless, closing slowly on Vance.
If it had not been wary of that one Kirlia it would have gone in long ago. The other Kirlia it could probably beat, and even if it could not, it could run, so there was no great need to be afraid.
While it was tracking them, Vance and the two Pokémon stopped, took out an assortment of bottles and jars, lit a fire and set something cooking.
Before long a rich smell drifted over to it. One small sniff — wonderful.
It was a smell it liked.
"Grrrumble—"
Its own little belly rumbled along with it. After all that, it was hungry.
It would have to look for an opening. Dark soon; there ought to be a chance then. A Gastly had people to frighten, and a Gastly had to eat as well.
Over on the other side Vance took his time over the food, with the Kirlia and the Zoroark sitting comfortably beside him, watching in silence.
The Kirlia even put out her psychic power to pass him the smaller things.
"Rustle, rustle, rustle—"
Something moved further off. Several Parasect came out of the undergrowth and looked across at them.
"Grrr, grrr—"
The Zoroark stood up and warned them off, telling them to leave.
It did no good at all.
What came back at her was a barrage of powder — Poison Powder, Stun Spore and the rest.
"Grrr—"
The Zoroark spread both hands and a huge Light Screen came up, shielding Vance and the Kirlia behind her.
Wearing Kirlia's shape and living cheek by jowl with the Kirlia, she had picked up most of the Psychic-type moves by now.
A flicker, and she was behind the Parasect. Magical Leaf swept out and scoured across them.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
A rush of parted air, and the Parasect were all flat on the ground and still.
"Weak. Who gave you the nerve to go after our food?"
The Zoroark lowered her hands, said it flatly and went back to Vance's side.
They could not take one move from her, and still they dared.
In this team, after all, she counted as one of the weak ones.
Not able to stand up to a single move from her, and still coveting their food — they had no idea how close to death they were.
Vance paid the Parasect no attention and left them lying where they were. They were worth nothing; with what he had now, that sort of level was beneath his notice.
Only something unusual, something with value in it, would make him take one.
The fight had been too quick to follow. It was over before anyone had got a proper look at it.
A good many Pokémon hidden in the dark, who had never shown themselves, saw what the Zoroark could do and withdrew.
Among them the Gastly that had been following for so long, shaken by the Zoroark's strength, began to back slowly away.
Frightening, frightening. This would not do. Something that strong, and that fast with it — if a Gastly went in, it might not even get away.
Before, it had thought that even if it lost the fight it could always run. Not now. Better left alone.
All of a sudden Berries seemed quite tasty, and the fear-energy off Pidgey and Oddish quite easy to absorb.
This human it could not manage. Rather hard on the throat, that one.
Off, off. Time to be off.
The Gastly made up its mind and started to withdraw.
But now that it was its turn to run, it was Vance's turn to be unwilling.
A Teleport, and he was standing right in front of it.
"Where are you off to, Gastly? Weren't you going to frighten me? Why the sudden urge to run?"
Vance said it with a smile, looking at the thoroughly startled Gastly.
Whether he was frightened nobody could say; the Gastly certainly was.
And what frightened it was the wave of power that had come off this human as he appeared. Strong — strong past anything it could put a measure to.
It had not known its own place at all, thinking to frighten a human like this.
Terrifying. This human was not like other humans either.
"Hiss-heh, hiss-heh—"
The Gastly gave a sheepish sort of laugh and edged backwards, meaning to slide off.
"Hey, Gastly. Stop drifting about out here. Why not come with me and see the world outside?"
Vance called it to a halt.
At that the Gastly stopped where it was and turned back to look.
"Throw in with me. I'd call myself a competent enough Trainer, and I can give you a bigger stage than this. Faster than growing on your own, surely."
Vance went on, his eyes on the Gastly.
The Gastly heard him out with no sign of impatience. If anything it fell to thinking.
There was something in what the man said.
It had always meant to go out beyond the forest and make its own way once it was strong enough, and here was a chance.
This human seemed decent enough.
The longer the Gastly looked at Vance, the better he looked.
Strong, and warm with it. Through its sense for feeling, it knew Vance was not lying — he really did think well of it.
Go or not go? That was the question.
The Gastly turned it over.
A little way in front, the Kirlia and the other one teleported in and came up behind them; seeing Vance talking, they kept to one side.
They marvelled, too, at the Gastly's luck in catching their Trainer's eye.
It would get all the good food it could eat, grow strong fast, have any number of companions to play with......
Which of those was not better than what it had now?
Do I go? Or do I go?
The Gastly turned it over, wavering a little.
But once the Kirlia appeared it settled on something, and looking at her it called out, hiss-heh, hiss-heh.
Its eyes were serious, as though it were saying something.
Vance understood well enough what the Gastly meant: it wanted a fight with the Kirlia.
And then it would see about the rest.
If it was going to be caught, there were forms to be observed; a Gastly had its dignity too. Challenging the Kirlia would show off what it could do, and let it see what this man's Pokémon were like into the bargain.
"Kirlia, do you want to take him on?"
"Kirlia!"
The Kirlia stepped straight out, her small face all seriousness.
Of course a Kirlia would take him on.
In everything else she could be no help at all; now that a chance had finally come, how could she pass it up?
"Good. It's down to you, then, Kirlia."
"Kirlia!"
Out on the ground the Gastly and the Kirlia stood facing one another, eye to eye.
"Hiss-heh—"
The Gastly gave an odd cry and moved first, sinking into the ground where it stood.
It surfaced where the Kirlia was standing and put out its tongue to lick her.
And caught nothing.
The Kirlia had already vanished from the spot and reappeared off to one side.
Her mouth opened on a "la-la-la", the sound hazy and dreamlike. Disarming Voice.
At the first hearing of it the Gastly's face went blank, and by the time it came to itself Confusion had hold of it and flung it into the air.
"Hiss-heh—"
Sailing backwards, the Gastly threw back a Mean Look that fixed on the Kirlia to one side and settled onto her.
"Hiss-heh—"
Seeing its move land, the Gastly smiled. That would keep the Kirlia from teleporting for a while; it had her pinned.
But the Kirlia showed no alarm whatever, and the moment it touched down she put another string of blasts into it.
Every counterattack it threw back was held down.
The Gastly realised that even without Teleport this Kirlia did not seem to fear it. Pinning her had done very little good.
Green leaves lifted across the ground and came sweeping in, closing the Gastly inside them.
"Boom—"
The Gastly met the Magical Leaf with a Shadow Ball and broke out through it. Points of ghostly blue Will-O-Wisp gathered around it, ringed it, drew together into one and were thrown at the Kirlia.
"Bang—"
The Will-O-Wisp was stopped by a Light Screen and shut out.
There on the spot the two Pokémon went at it in earnest.
"That Gastly has a good sense for a fight."
Vance rubbed his chin. The Kirlia could not put it away at once, which said something about the Gastly's level.
By the fine tradition of his team, fighting above your grade was standard practice.
The Kirlia was doing well too, of course. A great many of her responses were exactly right, and her timing was sound.
Nothing went wrong, and as the two traded blows the Kirlia gradually took the upper hand.
The Zoroark watched from the side with real interest, her legs slightly bent, ready to step in at any moment.
By the look of things, she would not be needed.