With Metagross's power, a mere Dusknoir couldn't possibly pose a threat.
As expected—
The moment Metagross entered the battlefield, it unleashed a pulse of psychic energy, striking the unprepared Dusknoir squarely in the chest.
The Dusknoir, who had just begun to gather a Shadow Ball to attack Nozomi, didn't even have time to dodge. The psychic force slammed directly into it with crushing power.
Although Ghost-type moves are super effective against Psychic-types, that advantage is one-sided. Psychic-type attacks, on the other hand, don't lose effectiveness when used against Ghost Pokémon.
So, Dusknoir took the full brunt of Metagross's Psychic.
With a pained roar, its single eye clamped shut, its face twisted in agony—every expression screaming "It hurts!"
The Shadow Ball it had been preparing dissolved midair, dispersing into the foggy air of Lavender Town.
"Wuu~!"
In the distance, Misdreavus, who had been tangled up in combat with Haunter, saw Dusknoir's suffering and cried out anxiously, struggling to break free and rush to its aid.
But Haunter had been ordered by Nozomi to keep Misdreavus occupied—there was no way it would let her go.
The two Ghost-types clashed fiercely, offense and defense swirling together as dark purple shadows collided and exploded around them.
Watching the scene—Dusknoir writhing in pain, Misdreavus crying in panic, and Haunter cackling gleefully—Nozomi couldn't help thinking, Why do I feel like the bad guy here?
He shook his head, pushing that thought aside.
This was a battle. And in a battle, all distractions must be cast away—victory is the only goal!
"Metagross, continue using Psychic! Put more power into it!" Nozomi commanded, deciding to end it in one blow.
Vooom!
Metagross nodded in response, its eyes glowing a fierce blue. Another surge of psychic force, several times stronger than before, crashed down upon Dusknoir.
The air around it rippled and twisted violently. Dusknoir, the main target, took overwhelming damage—it could no longer fight.
Seeing this, Misdreavus let out a wail of despair. Her grief left a fatal opening in her defense.
"Ha ha ha!"
Haunter hurled another Shadow Ball straight into Misdreavus.
Boom!
The blast sent her spiraling backward—unconscious, defeated.
Nozomi looked at the two fallen Ghost Pokémon. After a moment's thought, he pulled out a pair of Poké Balls.
He had promised Nurse Joy he'd solve the problem with the Ghost-types haunting the town. Now that he'd beaten them this badly, if he just left them here, they might take revenge on her once they recovered.
To be safe, it was better to capture them.
Honestly, neither Dusknoir nor Misdreavus were weak. And Nozomi was curious—what kind of bond did these two share, to be so close?
The captures went smoothly.
If he couldn't even catch two Pokémon that had already fainted, he might as well go home and raise a Tepig instead.
Pokémon Center
When the handsome young man who had promised to handle the Ghost-type problem returned, Nurse Joy's face lit up. "That's wonderful—you're back at last!"
He had been gone so long that she'd nearly called Officer Jenny in Lavender Town for help.
"I'm back," Nozomi said with a smile, holding up two Poké Balls. "Mission accomplished."
"These are…?"
"The ones who were eavesdropping on our conversation earlier—a Misdreavus and a Dusknoir."
"Misdreavus… and Dusknoir!?"
Joy pressed a hand to her chest, relief and fear mixed in her expression.
Misdreavus wasn't too dangerous—she fed on human fear and rarely caused harm. At worst, those who provoked her might suffer nightmares or mischievous pranks for a while.
But Dusknoir was another story entirely.
Legend said that Dusknoir not only possessed powerful hypnotic abilities, but its body was like a black hole, capable of drawing in enemies and wandering souls alike. Once something was absorbed, it could never escape—forever trapped within the Dusknoir's body.
A truly terrifying Pokémon.
"Thank you so much," Joy said sincerely, bowing deeply.
"No need for thanks," Nozomi replied, waving a hand. "But could I trouble you to heal them? There's something I'd like to ask."
Joy blinked, surprised, but nodded and accepted the Poké Balls. "Of course. Leave it to me."
Before long, the two Ghost-types were fully restored and brought out before Nozomi.
They looked visibly frightened—trembling, eyes darting nervously, unable even to meet his gaze.
The earlier battle had clearly left a lasting impression.
"You two can understand me, right?" Nozomi asked calmly.
Dusknoir and Misdreavus both nodded.
Many Pokémon, especially those that lived close to human towns, could understand human speech quite well.
"Then tell me—why are you here in Kanto? You two don't belong to this region."
Both Dusknoir and Misdreavus were species native to Hoenn, rarely seen in Kanto—let alone together as wild Pokémon.
The two Ghost-types exchanged glances. Misdreavus floated forward and began gesturing with her wispy tendrils.
Ten long minutes later, after a mixture of guesswork and a bit of telepathic interpretation, Nozomi finally pieced together the story.
"So, you mean—you were captured by a group of people, but those people were later attacked by Haunter inside the Pokémon Tower… and that's how you escaped?"
Misdreavus nodded rapidly.
"Then why didn't you stay in the Tower? Why come into town?" Nozomi asked, puzzled.
For Ghost Pokémon, the atmosphere of Pokémon Tower was like a warm bed on a cold winter's night—hard to resist. So why had they left?
At this, Misdreavus drooped, looking dejected. After several hesitant moments, she finally explained.
It turned out that after their escape, the Haunter clan inside the Tower refused to accept them. Territorial by nature, the Haunters had seen the newcomers as intruders.
A fierce fight broke out.
Outnumbered—and facing both Haunter and Gengar—they were completely overpowered and ultimately driven out of the Tower.