The black mist dissipated into the ground, and the dazzling white light receded like a tide. A pair of pointed ears slowly rose from the shadows.
A deep purple, round body connected to its claws and stubby legs, with spiky protrusions on its back and a short tail.
Haunter... now it should be called Gengar.
Gengar grinned, its crimson eyes gleaming, its mouth stretching to the base of its tongue, revealing a row of neat, white teeth that could easily land it a toothpaste commercial.
The smile, however, also carried a sinister and terrifying vibe, making it perfect for horror movie roles without needing any makeup.
"Gengar! （`▽`)??"
Gengar looked around excitedly, waving its little fists.
It had gotten stronger again!
As expected of you, Gengar!
Due to Gengar's unique heat-absorbing physique, the surrounding temperature dropped by 5°C.
Bill, being a bit timid, shivered and hugged his shoulders, his face pale. "Gengar's appearance... is kind of scary..."
"Hmm... scary?" Natsume stroked his chin and smiled. "I think it's quite cute!"
"Gengar!"
Gengar grinned and stuck out its bright red tongue, licking Natsume.
Natsume smiled, not dodging or flinching.
A 30% chance of paralysis... how unlucky could he be?
As the wet tongue slid across his neck.
Then, Natsume froze.
Natsume-sensei was now in a 『Paralysis』 condition!
"A-Are you okay?" Silver's usually expressionless face showed a hint of concern.
"N-No big deal!"
Though his tongue was numb, Natsume waved his hand calmly.
With trembling fingers, he pulled out a Cheri Berry from his pocket and shakily popped it into his mouth.
Silver and Bill were both stunned.
Why are you so skilled at this?!
"Gengar!" Gengar proudly placed its hands on its hips, grinning.
Once Natsume-sensei regained mobility, he patted Gengar's head and scanned it with his Pokédex.
[Gengar, Ghost+Poison
Ability: Cursed Body
Moves: Shadow Ball, Hypnosis, Night Shade, Shadow Punch...]
After evolving, Gengar hadn't learned any new moves.
This made Natsume-sensei breathe a sigh of relief.
However, Gengar's move pool was quite diverse, including Ice Punch and Scary Face, showing just how hard it had been training. (Scary Face: Glare at the opponent with a terrifying face, causing fear and significantly lowering their speed.)
Given Gengar's natural talent, Natsume figured.
Scary Face was probably something it accidentally mastered while looking in the mirror during its Haunter days...
As for its Ability.
While theoretically, Gengar's Ability changed from 『Levitate』 to 『Cursed Body』, losing its ability to float.
But based on Ash Ketchum's Gengar from the new series.
Gengar could still achieve flight through other means.
Closing the Pokédex, Natsume carefully examined Gengar, stroking his chin.
Natsume-sensei had been a huge fan of Gengar even before his transmigration.
Though Dragapult in Generation 8 served as a superior alternative, Gengar remained the ace of Ghost-types.
Dirty yet strong... How could there be a Pokémon as cool as Gengar!
"Gengar," Natsume smiled, extending his hand toward Gengar.
"Let's take care of each other from now on!"
"Gengar! (≧ ≦)??"
Gengar grinned, its stubby legs hopping on the ground as it slapped Natsume's hand with a smack.
"Huh? You can't fly yet?" Natsume asked in surprise.
To be honest, Natsume had gotten used to Haunter floating by his side.
Now, seeing Gengar hopping around on the ground...
Well... it's kind of cute.
"Let me explain," Bill coughed. "Although Gengar has the ability to fly, losing the 『Levitate』 Ability means it now requires energy to do so... Since it just evolved, it's still getting used to it."
"Gengar..." Gengar scratched its head, looking a bit dejected.
Natsume immediately understood.
It was like a passive skill becoming an active one.
For now, Gengar would need to expend energy to fly.
Silver, who had been standing silently for a while, suddenly spoke up. "You can use Ghost energy to achieve Levitate temporarily."
Gengar glanced at Natsume, who nodded, and then began trying repeatedly.
After failing a couple of times, Gengar used the black mist to suddenly float up, happily spinning in the air.
"That's... quite impressive talent," Bill muttered.
Silver frowned. "This is only temporary flight... To Levitate freely like Haunter, it'll need to master Confusion as well."
Natsume was taken aback.
As if anticipating something, his heart skipped a beat.
If Gengar could master Confusion, wouldn't that mean it could learn 『Psychic』?
Move manuals were easy enough.
If Natsume-sensei wanted, he could get them through Sabrina or Cynthia.
But if he had to rely on these big shots' training methods...
Training 『Psychic』 would likely cost a fortune!
"I wonder if next month's game revenue will be enough to cover it..." Natsume muttered.
"Gengar? (⊙ ⊙)"
At that moment, Gengar fell back to the ground with a thud, scratching its head in confusion.
Natsume frowned.
Natsume-sensei had grown accustomed to having it float by his side.
Moreover, watching Gengar keep falling like this was just heartbreaking!
Glancing at Gengar, who sat on the ground with its little hands on its stubby legs, looking utterly innocent.
Natsume sighed and gritted his teeth. "This money has to be spent!"
...
For the next while, Natsume stayed at Bill's house, testing Gengar's post-evolution data.
All the indicators were normal, except for its extraordinary digestion and arm strength, which far exceeded that of an average Gengar...
Silver watched Gengar, who was floating in front of a wall, throwing punches so fast they left afterimages, and fell into deep thought.
Is this... some kind of unique training method?
Suddenly, Silver had an idea.
He called out his own Pokémon and said solemnly, "Weavile, pay attention to how it uses Ice Punch."
Weavile, an Ice-type specialist, nodded seriously, ready to learn...
Meanwhile.
Bill handed Natsume a report. "Currently, Gengar can Levitate for about twenty to thirty minutes."
"With Psychic, it can significantly reduce the energy cost of flying, almost restoring its original speed..."
Natsume's expression turned odd. "I'm working on it, I'm working on it..."
Natsume-sensei had already asked Sabrina in the group chat for advice on 『Psychic』 training methods.
Though Sabrina hadn't replied yet, Natsume was already prepared to spend a fortune...
"It's fine..." Natsume comforted himself. "Spending a few million Pokémon Coins to get Gengar's Levitate back is worth it!"
"By the way," Bill suddenly reminded him, "Since Gengar just evolved, you might want to prepare some extra resources to help it stabilize and improve!"
Natsume was taken aback and instinctively glanced at Gengar.
"Gengar! (??????`??)" Gengar looked up, grinning innocently.
Natsume-sensei pondered for a moment, feeling a slight wetness in the corner of his eyes.
Why do my eyes always seem to hold tears?
Because I love Pokémon so deeply!
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