[Dispersed ghost-type energy condensed into an item. Obtained "Ghost Gem" (Reward)]
John pulled out a Pokeball and threw it at the now fire-seed-only Chandelure, capturing it in a flash of red light.
[Chandelure (Fire/Ghost-Type)] (Shiny)]
[Level: 80]
[Ability: Flame Body (When hit by contact moves, there is a chance the attacking Pokemon will be burned)]
[IV's: HP (27), Attack (31), Sp. Attack (31), Defense (31), Sp. Defense (31), Speed (25)]
[Held Item: Cold Flame Curse Talisman: Ghost-type move power increased by 50%. All fire-attribute moves automatically inflict Ice-type damage and lower the target's speed]
A 4V Pokemon, and the two stats that hadn't reached 31 were still remarkably high.
That soul-freezing cold it had emanated must have been connected to the item it carried, the Cold Flame Curse Talisman.
John recalled the Pokeball containing Chandelure and noticed the monks surrounding him, staring with a complex mixture of emotions in their eyes.
He could understand why. They'd spent over a hundred years guarding this place, dedicating their lives solely to keeping Chandelure sealed. They couldn't even attempt to capture it themselves. And then he'd waltzed in and annihilated it in two moves, taking less than thirty seconds total.
It was like a provincial athlete who'd struggled their entire career to barely qualify for nationals suddenly meeting some kid who'd trained for two days and won an Olympic gold medal.
Anyone would find that hard to swallow.
Some of the monks seemed lost in contemplation, as if wondering:
'If I hadn't chosen to become a monk back then, if I'd become a trainer instead... could I have captured this Chandelure years ago? Would we even need thirteen of us sitting here motionless for over a century?'
The atmosphere on the eighth floor grew heavy with unspoken thoughts.
"I'm heading to the ninth floor," John said, breaking the silence. Without waiting for a response, he turned toward the stairway leading upward.
[Ninth Floor of the Bell Tower]
The scene before him differed completely from John's expectations.
He'd imagined it would be shrouded in thick ghost-type energy, no different from some hellish underworld realm.
Instead, the ninth floor was surprisingly bright and airy, almost refreshing.
"Did the Ghost-type Pokemon that was sealed here escape?" John wondered aloud.
He stepped forward and picked up a white talisman lying on the floor. Immediately, he had his answer.
[Divine Treasure: Nether Authority]
[When equipped, Special Attack increases by 50%. Ghost and Poison-type move power increases by 200%. Damage dealt to Ghost-types is doubled. Damage received from Ghost-type moves is reduced by 70%. Ghost-type Pokemon within 500 meters cannot flee.
(Exclusive to the Gengar evolutionary line)]
"Well, damn. This is a Gengar divine treasure!" John exclaimed, genuinely surprised.
He'd assumed that divine treasures exclusive to the Gengar line had been lost to history like so many other ancient relics. Never would he have guessed one had been sitting right here, on the same floor where he'd originally caught his Haunter.
"Did you know about this?" John asked Gengar.
"Gengar?" The purple blob tilted its head, scratching itself in confusion.
John figured the ghost had probably been sealed away for so long it had forgotten. Or maybe its memory just wasn't that great to begin with.
Though more likely, Gengar had been sealed in the Bell Tower with the divine treasure originally, and humans had forcibly removed it at some point.
After all, an item called Nether Authority with such extreme effectiveness against Ghost types, combined with its property of preventing Ghost-types within 500 meters from escaping, would be the perfect tool for humans to suppress the Ghost-type Pokemon infesting the Bell Tower.
But now that John had found it, well... finders keepers.
Perfect timing, too. He'd been wanting to craft a specialized divine treasure for Gengar but had been missing some materials.
Aside from Eternatus, John honestly couldn't think of any other legendary Pokemon that would work.
And as for Eternatus... John currently had zero leads on that front. He could only hope that if he happened to encounter it someday, he wouldn't hesitate to take down the Poison-type legendary and harvest its power for Gengar. But if he never crossed paths with it, Gengar would still be plenty powerful regardless.
John walked toward the doorway at the far end of the ninth floor. A notification appeared before his eyes.
[Cannot open the tenth floor without the target item (Clear Bell)]
The required item was the Clear Bell?
"Now where am I supposed to find that?"