Chapter 42: The Farmer's Three Punches, Old Geng of Kanto
The dual restraint of electricity and vines proved too much even for Gengar to bear.
*Zzzzt... Whoosh...*
After a short while, the energy from the electric net dissipated, leaving Gengar bound by the tough vines. Its rounded, jelly-like body was squeezed so tightly that several rolls of fat bulged out.
Then, streaks of green light, representing healing, glowed upon Bulbasaur.
HP +1, +1, +1...
Seeing Gengar completely collapsed on the floor, Ash curled the corner of his mouth upward, making a move to throw a Poké Ball to capture it.
"Gen-gar!!"
At that moment, a powerful, guttural roar erupted.
Gengar, which had been sprawled out on the wooden floor, suddenly surged to its feet, facing the group. The playful, mischievous intent from before had vanished entirely; its blood-red eyes were now so deep in color they seemed ready to drip with blood.
Its pranks were born from the boredom of lingering in this place and a desire for attention—that was the nature of the Gengar clan. But the reason it remained here was the darkest secret buried in its heart.
It resented humans!
Gengar's aura instantly became incomparably sinister and terrifying!
"Ash, it's not over yet. This one is tough," Brock warned urgently. *How is this Gengar just like Ash—does it have a split personality too?*
...
*Rip!*
Gengar spread its arms wide, forcibly tearing the Leech Seed vines completely apart. It was like a chubby person wearing a shirt that was too small, then performing an expansive stretch that caused the fabric to burst instantly.
Its resentment even drifted outward, coalescing into a hazy, shadowy mist that shrouded the room, sending a chill through everyone’s hearts for no apparent reason.
"Such powerful pressure..." Ash gulped, gasping aloud.
"Gen-gar!!"
Gengar then slammed a fist into the rosewood floor!
Black energy from its fist seeped out and dove into the floorboards.
*Whoosh-BOOM!*
The next instant, a black, shadowy fist suddenly erupted in front of both Metapod and Bulbasaur.
Shadow Punch!
"Bulba!"
Bulbasaur’s reflexes were sharp; it leaped into the air, barely dodging the Shadow Punch.
*Whoosh!*
Unexpectedly, the black fist that had missed its mark swerved and turned around in a bizarre, unnatural way!
This time, suspended in mid-air, Bulbasaur had nowhere to dodge.
*Wham!*
Bulbasaur was struck square in the face, its body sent flying across the floor, carving a groove into the wood.
"Be careful, Shadow Punch is a guaranteed-hit move; you can't dodge it," Brock warned from the back.
"Gen-gar~!!"
Before Ash could recover, Gengar let out another wild laugh, and its figure vanished from its spot. In the next instant, its bloated body appeared right in front of Bulbasaur.
The speed was incredible.
Right now, its right hand was already condensed with a layer of ice crystals, chilling air radiating outward...
"Bulba!?"
Bulbasaur was stunned.
*BOOM!*
Ice Punch landed true!
*Creak, creak...!*
The cold from Gengar’s fist layered onto Bulbasaur, instantly freezing the little onion-bulb Pokémon into a solid block of ice.
It was super effective!
"Gen-gar-gar!!"
Gengar did not stop its assault, fiercely swinging its left hand.
*Sizzle...!*
This time, the surface of its fist was condensed with heat energy, a sharp contrast to the ice.
Flames soared, wreathed in fire!
Fire Punch!!
*BOOM!*
The intense power of the flames sent the frozen Bulbasaur flying. The ice shattered and melted amidst the fire, and it crashed heavily to the ground.
"Bulba..."
When the ice finally shattered completely, Bulbasaur had already lost the ability to battle, fainting on the floor. Clearly, it had endured an intensity far beyond its current level...
The rosewood floor now bore several more charred marks.
...
"So strong..." Ash was flustered. Had this Gengar’s strength suddenly increased?
No, it wasn't getting stronger. A Gengar that hadn't battled in a long time was simply adapting to the fight and regaining its former power.
Ash’s gaze darkened, and he quickly recalled Bulbasaur. Even so, he had to bite the bullet and continue.
"I choose you, Squirtle! Catch your sunglasses!"
"Squirtle, Squirtle?"
Squirtle, sent out once again, scratched its head, confused but taking the glasses thrown to it. *Well, since you’re letting me battle, I’ll forgive you.*
Squirtle put the sunglasses back on, raised its small claw, and lowered its head to scan the room, but saw no enemy. *Huh, where did the enemy go? This is really giving me a headache.*
"Squirtle?!"
The next moment, a large, purple-black figure appeared out of thin air right in front of Squirtle, startling the latter into stumbling back a few steps.
*Is this my opponent? Watch me blast you with a Water Gun!*
Just as the re-motivated Squirtle was about to fire, it heard the crackling sound of electricity from the side. Looking out from the corner of its eye, it saw a fist crackling with immense electricity whistling toward its head...
*Is that Thunder Punch!?*
"Squirtle!?"
Squirtle immediately activated its turtle instinct, retracting its head into its shell, narrowly dodging the sweeping Thunder Punch.
Just as it was about to extend its head to fire the Water Gun again, this time, the Thunder Punch came charging straight from the front!
*BOOM!*
The punch struck the shell directly, giving Squirtle no chance to dodge.
*Zzzzt-BOOM!*
Thunder Punch!
Lightning exploded across Squirtle’s body!
It was super effective!
The powerful current seeped into the shell, instantly leaving Squirtle dizzy and its whole body numb.
"Squirtle!!" Ash cried out, panicking for a moment.
The level gap was too great.
Squirtle struggled on the floor for a while, let out a final mournful cry toward Ash, and then completely lost the ability to battle. Before it passed out, its eyes were filled with resentment.
"Squirtle, Squirtle... (Are you trying to kill me...?)"
"Gen-gar-gar!!"
Gengar laughed triumphantly on the side, its body trembling. *The three punches—I’m the veteran Gengar of Kanto!*
...
"..."
Ash recalled Squirtle in silence. Looking at the Gengar opposite him, still completely unscathed, he finally realized that this Pokémon was perhaps not something a trainer at his current stage could defeat...
Even if it hadn't battled in years, this Gengar only needed a little adjustment. Attempting to face it with starter Pokémon that had just left the beginner village was nothing more than a pipe dream.
So strong...
Can't beat it. Should I give up?
Ash fell into inner turmoil. The cost of failure was merely losing a chance to stand above others. In this situation, sending out Pikachu or Charmander would only be fodder.
"..."
He could feel Pikachu, who was huddled under a blanket pretending to be asleep, trembling. Even an electric mouse was afraid of ghosts.
Wild Pokémon prioritized attacking other Pokémon. Now that Gengar had cleared the field, it ignored the humans and began walking toward the Metapod, intending to finish it off as well.
*No matter how hard your shell is, how many Fire Punches can you take?* Gengar felt like a demon lord, feeling very proud.
...
Ash, feeling somewhat lost, raised his arm and was about to recall Metapod, choosing the option to flee.
At this moment, Goh, who was standing to the side, stepped forward first and grabbed his wrist.
"Hey, we haven't lost yet! You haven't taught me how to catch Pokémon yet!" he shouted sternly.
To capture Mew in the future, Goh had been training by studying theoretical knowledge before becoming a trainer. But in truth, his greatest strength wasn't academic knowledge surpassing his peers—it was a pair of eyes skilled at observation. He had noticed Ash was about to give up.
"Goh..." Ash looked at the firm expression on the dark-skinned boy's face and was slightly taken aback. *I’m the one teaching the skills, yet here I am, the one being lectured?*
Ash’s gaze then sharpened. He pressed down on his hat, recovering his former high spirits. That’s right—the word "escape" did not exist in his dictionary.
Even if he lost, he wouldn't run!
"Come back, Metapod!"
With his fighting spirit reignited, Ash decisively recalled Metapod, making Gengar’s Fire Punch hit nothing but air, blasting a charred hole into the floor.
Then, his arm lowered from the Poké Ball at his waist.
It looked like he wasn't planning to send out any new Pokémon.
"Is he going to go up and fight hand-to-hand himself?"
"Or is he going to ask for a divine spirit to possess him again?"
Brock and Misty’s eyes lit up, though what they said left Goh feeling bewildered. He couldn't understand either of those phrases...
...
"Gen-gar-gar!!"
Gengar aimed its blood-red eyes at the group. The two fists hanging at its waist unleashed energy simultaneously, glowing with blue and red light.
It had launched both Ice Punch and Fire Punch at the same time; its pressure reached its peak!
Ash had seen this on TV: launching elemental dual punches was a supreme ultimate move. In their region, only the Kanto Fighting-type Elite Four member, Master Bruno, could command his Hitmonchan to launch such an attack. This was undoubtedly an incredibly powerful Ghost-type Pokémon, refreshing Ash’s worldview once again.
"Hmph!"
Seeing this, Ash scoffed, feeling quite confident.
*As long as it's a Ghost-type Pokémon, there's a way.*
Ash was going to do it himself!
A memory flashed through his mind. Ash remembered a game advertisement he had seen on TV. It featured a haunted hotel, where a plumber in a green hat used a machine to capture all the ghosts in the building!
And this machine was right here in the room!
*Vroom-vroom!!*
Just as Gengar came charging with its icy and fiery fists, Ash was faster, bending his body. As his hand moved like lightning, he lifted a mysterious machine.
It was a rectangular suction nozzle connected to a long pipe, with a large, transparent box attached to the back.
Household vacuum cleaner, maximum power...
ON!!
*Rumble, rumble, rumble!!*
The vacuum cleaner, at full power, turned on instantly; the violent noise echoed throughout the entire room. The wind generated by the suction force completely engulfed the charging Gengar.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble!!*
In an instant, the powerful airflow and suction made it impossible for Gengar to maintain its Ice and Fire punches. Its body, composed entirely of a semi-gaseous, semi-liquid state, was sucked into the nozzle with a "whoosh."
Incredibly smooth.
In the blink of an eye, Gengar’s body had turned into a puddle of soft mud, appearing in the transparent container at the back of the vacuum.
"Gen-gar-gar..."
Only a pair of large, red eyes remained visible inside the glass, looking very aggrieved.
"Heh heh...!"
Ash patted the back of the vacuum, smiling triumphantly.
As expected, advertisements never lie!
To catch a ghost, you have to rely on a vacuum cleaner!