Chapter 37: The Mismagius's Unique Bond: The Lord of the Netherworld!

Deep in the night on Mount Mingchong, a circle of Oddish and Bellsprout gathered together.

Inside the circle, Sprigatito and Misdreavus stood in a standoff, the air between them thick with the scent of gunpowder. Without a doubt, a battle for capture was about to begin. Xia Chi, acting as the Trainer, stepped in to issue commands. To him, directing a capture battle was a sign of respect for the Pokémon he admired; it was a chance to demonstrate not only his nurturing capabilities but also his tactical prowess.

"Sprigatito, Hone Claws!"

Although Xia Chi had seized the initiative, he chose to use Hone Claws. It was a multi-purpose move: it strengthened physical attacks, shifted the Pokémon’s type to Dark to resist Ghost-type moves, and allowed him to gauge the strength of Misdreavus’s offensive power.

Seeing this, Misdreavus didn't hesitate to charge up its signature move. Its crimson eyes narrowed, and the ghost energy within its body condensed into a dark, purple-black sphere in front of it.

"Oh, Shadow Ball!" Xia Chi’s eyes lit up. He hadn't expected Misdreavus to know this move. As one of the most powerful Ghost-type attacks, the Shadow Ball was the definitive yardstick for a Ghost-type Pokémon’s natural talent. The timing of its acquisition and the density of the orb were the true measures of skill.

The Shadow Ball Misdreavus had formed was quite small. Do not be mistaken—this was a sign of excellence. Anyone could make a large ball of energy; it took real talent to condense a massive amount of power into a compact sphere.

Watching the Shadow Ball hurtle toward them at high speed, Xia Chi narrowed his gaze. "Sprigatito, charge forward, Bite!"

Without a second of hesitation, Sprigatito pushed off with its hind legs and surged forward. Dark-type energy swirled around its slightly opened mouth, forming the phantom image of jagged, dark-grey fangs, and it lunged straight at the incoming Shadow Ball.

*Boom!*

With an explosion, Sprigatito’s "fangs" tore through the Shadow Ball, scattering purple-black energy particles like rain across the sky. Sprigatito pressed its advantage, charging toward Misdreavus and striking the Ghost-type squarely on the head with the lingering energy of the "Bite."

Faced with Sprigatito’s close-quarters assault, Misdreavus, who favored ranged bombardment, panicked. Instinctively, it tried to condense another Shadow Ball to force its opponent back. But Sprigatito, now in its comfort zone, gave it no such chance and landed another Bite.

"Now, Quick Attack!"

Misdreavus, under pressure, released its Shadow Ball, but it was perfectly dodged by Sprigatito, who had switched to the Normal-type through the use of Quick Attack. Watching the Shadow Ball whistle past Sprigatito and detonate on the ground, Misdreavus was stunned. Was it not a Grass-type? How could it...

"Sprigatito’s ability is Protean; it can change its type based on the move it uses," Xia Chi called out from behind. "Misdreavus, do you want to continue?"

Misdreavus glared at Sprigatito, who was looking back with a provocative gaze, and nodded without hesitation.

"Misdreavus!"

In truth, it was no longer resistant to being caught by Xia Chi, but if it admitted defeat now, wouldn't it be subordinate to this hateful cat in their new home? For the sake of its dignity, it would not surrender!

Watching from afar, Xia Chi raised an eyebrow in surprise. Timid by nature but not afraid to fight? Interesting.

However, the gap in their battle skill was clear. No matter how hard Misdreavus tried, it couldn't inflict any significant damage on Sprigatito. In fact, if it weren't for Sprigatito’s mischievous desire to play with its prey like a cat with a mouse, Misdreavus would have fared even worse.

Finally, after another Psychic attack was nullified by Sprigatito switching to the Dark-type, the exhausted Misdreavus collapsed, unable to continue. It wasn't that it had run out of HP and fainted, but rather that its energy had been completely drained by Sprigatito’s teasing. Regardless, the result was the same: it was unable to battle.

Xia Chi crouched before the fallen Misdreavus, holding a Poké Ball, and said earnestly, "Sometimes, choosing the right direction is ten thousand times more important than working hard. Come with me, and you will become as strong as Sprigatito."

The pep talk was immediately effective. Misdreavus nodded with a firm gaze and tapped the button on the Poké Ball. A red light flashed, and Misdreavus vanished inside. The ball wobbled once, then went still.

With the dust settled, a smile tugged at the corners of Xia Chi’s mouth. His second Pokémon, Misdreavus, captured!

***

After healing Sprigatito and Misdreavus, Xia Chi could no longer suppress his curiosity and summoned the system. A blue interface unfolded before his eyes. He clicked on the "Pokémon" tab, and sure enough, beneath the cute, chibi portrait of Sprigatito was a brand-new, equally adorable chibi portrait of Misdreavus.

He clicked to open it.

【Misdreavus】
【Type: Ghost】
【Gender: Female】
【Ability: Levitate】
【Level: 19】
【Stats: HP 50, Attack 25, Defense 25, Special Attack 40, Special Defense 36, Speed 40】
【Moves: Shadow Ball, Confuse Ray, Nasty Plot, Psybeam, Dark Pulse, Hex, Will-O-Wisp...】
【Equipment: None】
【Bond: Ghost Type (Inactive): When a Bond Pokémon is attacked, it has a 10% chance to dodge perfectly. After triggering a perfect dodge, your next move is guaranteed to be a critical hit! (Upon gathering six Ghost-type bonds, the perfect dodge rate increases to 25%, and each successful dodge increases the critical hit damage by 10%!)】
【Bond: Speedster (2): The Bond Pokémon’s move power and energy consumption are reduced by 30%, but move release speed is increased by 50%! (Upon gathering six Speed bonds, move power is reduced by 20%, and release speed is increased by 100%!)】
【Bond: Master of the Nether (1/1): Misdreavus feeds on the fear of other living beings. Once the battle begins, it gains one stack of "Nether Mark" for every minute it remains on the field (up to 20 stacks). Each stack provides: 5% Attack/Special Attack (Adaptive), 5% Speed, and 5% Life Steal!】
(Adaptive means the stat automatically adjusts based on whichever is higher between Attack and Special Attack.)

Looking at the panel, Xia Chi felt a surge of joy. The good news was that two new bonds with high potential had appeared. The even better news was that Misdreavus and Sprigatito shared the "Speedster" bond. With this, the chances of Sprigatito winning the Hu-Bao Cup had increased significantly.

Of course, the surprises didn't end there. The "Master of the Nether" bond, which could be triggered individually, looked terrifyingly strong. Though accumulating twenty stacks of "Nether Mark" would require staying on the field for 20 minutes—which was somewhat idealistic—it was undeniable that a fully stacked Misdreavus would be a true "Master of the Nether" dominating the battlefield.

How to survive the vacuum period while stacking those marks was a challenge Xia Chi would need to study. Perhaps he could train a semi-tank, semi-attacker Misdreavus?

The "Ghost Type" bond was another that required higher-level synergy to truly shine. A 10% chance for a perfect dodge was essentially a gamble, so for now, he wouldn't factor it into his core tactics. It would simply be a pleasant surprise if it happened—potentially turning the tide—but if not, it was best to treat it as non-existent.