Hi! So I'm in a band and we we have a smoke machine we bring out on stage, and our drummer's Gastly keeps getting inside it and making black smoke. We all think it looks cool, but is it safe? We don't want to get our fans, you know, sick or killed or anything.
A'ight so, the gas of a ghastly CAN induce feinting, nausea, and suffocation, BUT and this is the key point here, this is only the case when the pokemon feels threatened. It is otherwise harmless to inhale if the ghastly is well cared for, looked after and feeling secure and happy.
I'd suggest testing it without a crowd, and checking the toxicity levels in air by hiring or sending off canistered air collected during a test set, and sending it to a Environmental Protection Agency local to you. They may take a few weeks to get you results, and often can offer this service for a reasonable price.
If the results come back clean enough, then i'd see no issue with it. its not like its new to use pokemon for performances, pyrotechnics and visual effects are so much easier to apply with trained team members.
You can buy air quality meters too, which may be worth investing in, to make sure those levels stay low through performances.
If the Ghastly has a good disposition, and doesnt panic or stress during sets, it shoudlnt cause a problem, this is especially evident if the pokemon is not overly powerful or highly trained. even if things go a bit wrong, a low level mon like this will only cause some nausea, not anything more severe.
I'd also run this by your venues owner if you rent out of perform in various loactions, as their insurances may not cover this kind of effect during acts.
Run it by your drummer and his pokemon, and test to make sure this pokemon is calm and sturdy during practice for a few sessions.
Its worth noting if any of you are looking for a counter measure for the toxicity levels, should on the off chance they spike, some koffing have been trained to purify air even before their Galarian evolution. Dotaku Labs have been a cornerstone for training these pokemon for rehoming and work forces, utilising their latent ability to clean air, if trained right. We have a few up for adoption most of the time, and they have wonderful personliaties. We however do understand that not everyone can take up a new pokemon, so its not a necessity, just an option should one of you feel like youre capable of taking on a koffing.
Long story short, if the pokemon is calm and happy to do this, and handles the performances without fear, there shouldnt be any issues at all, as their toxicity only increases when stressed or defneding themselves.