“Can we talk properly now?
You should understand by now that I’m not here to steal anything from you.
The main issue is that your living here has affected a lot of other Pokémon.
On top of that, this place is a shelter, so your presence here is also causing trouble for people.”
Looking at Dhelmise, who had mostly recovered, Blake spoke calmly.
“Dheeeelmise.
But there’s something here that draws me in.”
Dhelmise let out a low rumble as it answered.
“I can feel it too.
There’s definitely something unusual inside that safe.
Have you seen what it is?”
Blake understood that part.
For a Dhelmise living on the seafloor, finding suitable resources was difficult.
Or rather, unless they lived in certain special places, most wild Pokémon had a hard time obtaining resources that could help them grow stronger.
Because of that, wild Pokémon would often fight fiercely over things that Trainers might consider fairly ordinary.
In that sense, Dhelmise’s actions were not entirely unreasonable.
The problem was that it had settled here and refused to leave.
“Dheeeelmise.
No.”
Dhelmise shook its body as it spoke.
It was too large to reach the thing precisely, and it had been afraid of accidentally damaging it, so it had never dared to try.
After all, unlike a Gas Pokémon like Haunter, it could not pass through solid objects.
Its seaweed was still quite thick!
“Then Haunter, help take it out.”
“Haunter!
(~￣▽￣)~”
Haunter waved his little hands and floated over to the safe embedded in the wall, passing straight through it.
A short while later, he flew back while pinching a paper talisman between his fingers.
The moment it appeared, Blake could clearly feel the Ghost-type energy in the entire room surge sharply.
“A Spell Tag…?
But how does it have this much energy?”
Blake accepted the Spell Tag and stared in surprise at the familiar paper talisman in his hand.
Haunter and Dhelmise both leaned closer as well.
Clearly, the energy from the Spell Tag felt very comfortable to both of them.
“Wait.
The material is different.
What kind of ink is this?”
Blake looked at the Spell Tag in astonishment.
Because of his family background, he was fairly knowledgeable.
After all, he could draw talismans himself.
Ordinary Spell Tags were usually made with normal ink mixed with a certain proportion of Spell Tag-compatible Ghost Gem powder.
Over time, their effect would gradually fade.
The extremely rare ones were made using materials produced by Ghost-type Pokémon.
However, every Spell Tag in Blake’s family paled in comparison to the one in front of him.
The energy contained within this talisman was astonishing.
Even sealed inside a safe, it had still managed to affect the surrounding area. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Fortunately, this place was far from human habitation and Ghost-type Pokémon were rare nearby.
Otherwise, it would definitely have turned into a gathering place for Ghost types.
“Haunter— ￣『￣”
“Dheeeelmise— ￣『￣”
Haunter and Dhelmise both looked utterly entranced.
A treasure with such powerful energy made even the well-traveled Haunter and the poverty-stricken Dhelmise want to slap it onto themselves immediately.
“This charm is no ordinary item.
I’ll need to study it carefully later.
If I can figure out the secret behind it, it could be a major discovery for the entire world.
But there’s no rush right now.”
As Blake spoke, he took a small box from his waist pouch, carefully placed the Spell Tag inside, and closed the lid.
In the next moment, the dense Ghost-type energy from before disappeared completely, leaving both Pokémon visibly disappointed.
“All right, we’ll talk about that later.
For now, let me ask you something, Dhelmise.
Are you willing to become my Pokémon?”
Blake looked at Dhelmise seriously.
“If you’re not willing, I’ll compensate you with some resources Ghost-type Pokémon need.
They won’t compare to this Spell Tag, but they may be more suitable for you.
After all, the energy in that charm is far too strong.
You’re not a pure Ghost-type Pokémon, so most of its energy would be wasted on you, and it might even affect your Grass typing.
After that, I’ll have someone find you a suitable place and release you back into the wild.
What do you think?”
Blake was not joking.
Excessively powerful Ghost-type energy really could affect Dhelmise.
Although Dhelmise’s primary type was Ghost and its secondary type was Grass, stability was still key for a Pokémon’s growth.
If one side became too dominant, it could cause an imbalance in its own energy.
“Dheeeelmise…” Dhelmise hesitated.
It did enjoy being free on its own.
However, it also acknowledged Blake’s strength.
Just one Haunter had beaten it so thoroughly that it had been unable to fight back.
On top of that, Dhelmise really liked the aura around Blake, and it was still reluctant to part with that Spell Tag.
After thinking for a while, Dhelmise extended a strand of seaweed and placed it in Blake’s hand.
“Hah.
Welcome aboard, Dhelmise!
I’ll be counting on you.”
Blake smiled as he held Dhelmise’s leaf-like seaweed.
“Haunter!
(´▽`)ノ”
Haunter floated over as well, grabbed another piece of Dhelmise’s seaweed, and shook it up and down.
Having only just gained hands, Haunter was now interested in anything that required them.
“Dheeeelmise—!!” Dhelmise also let out an excited cry.
The feeling Blake gave it was truly comfortable, and it did not regret joining him.
“Let’s go.
There’s nothing else here worth paying attention to.
The others are still waiting outside.”
“Haunter!
(￣▽￣)/”
Just as Blake was about to turn and leave, Haunter suddenly stopped him with a grin, pointing toward the safe from earlier.
“There’s something else inside?”
Blake immediately understood what Haunter meant.
“Haunter.
ヽ(￣▽￣)ノ”
Haunter nodded, then floated back to the safe.
He reached inside and rummaged around before pulling out…
A huge diamond!
“We hit the jackpot!
Wait, a diamond?” Blake spoke in surprise.
There were many gemstones in this world—so many that they could almost be called countless—but a diamond this large and this bright was still rare.
It definitely counted as a precious item.
“Haunter, heeheehee.
(≖ᴗ≖)✧”
Haunter gave him a thumbs-up.
For some reason, perhaps because it had been stored together with the Spell Tag for so long, the diamond had also been stained with Ghost-type energy.
Not only that, there was a faint trace of some other energy mixed into it as well, though Blake could not tell what kind of energy it was.
“Nice work, Haunter.
I’ll treat you to a feast tonight.
We can celebrate Dhelmise joining us too.”
Blake gave Haunter a thumbs-up in return.
“Haunter!
(❁´◡`❁)✲゚”
Haunter looked utterly blissful.
Dhelmise, however, was a little confused.
It really did not understand what a feast was.
In the past, it had spent most of its time on the seafloor and knew very little about human food.
On top of that, its unusual body structure meant it could not eat the same way most Pokémon did.
“Don’t worry.
I have my ways.”
Blake understood Dhelmise’s concern, but he was not worried.
After all, many Ghost-type Pokémon were famously lacking anything that could properly be called a mouth.
Since his family had raised Ghost-type Pokémon for generations, they had naturally considered that issue long ago and made preparations for it.
“Hey!
Blake!
What’s going on in there?
Are you okay?”
Uncle Sam had felt the chilling sensation from earlier disappear.
After hearing the cheers from inside the captain’s cabin, he called out.
“It’s all settled!
We’re coming out now!”
Hearing Uncle Sam’s voice, Blake quickly answered.
Then he called Haunter and Dhelmise along and headed toward the door.
His first independent job could now officially be declared complete!