He knows Pokémon better than me.

If it were any other Pokémon, Bulbasaur would just whistle and gather right at the lab entrance, but this rebellious Gengar didn't react at all!
"Haha, thank you for your hard work, Xiao Jian. Oh right, this is something I've wanted to give you for a while!"

Ash suddenly remembered that he needed to trade Gengar, so he put an item into a blank Poké Ball and teleported it over.

Zizizi!
Soon, the switching devices on both sides lit up with electricity, completing the exchange.

Nowadays, even if there are no Pokémon in the Poké Ball, you can still "carry items" when trading Poké Balls.

"this is?"

On the other side of the screen, Xiao Jian looked curiously at the thing that had just been transmitted—a dark, blade-shaped stone.

Xiao Zhi explained with a smile:
"This is a Black Stone, an item that allows Scyther to evolve into Scizor. Didn't you say you wanted your Scyther to evolve into Scizor?"

Xiao Jian's Scyther is not low-level, and he has considered evolving it.

At the time, we only knew that Scizor was one evolutionary path.

But his Scyther prefers "slashing" to "pinching," so it has never evolved.

As for the scythe mantis, it doesn't conflict with its preferences!
"Ah! Is this the evolution item for Scizor?!"

On the other end of the phone, Xiao Jian's eyes lit up instantly, his fatigue vanishing.

He had searched the world for this evolution item, and even Professor Oak helped him look for it. Unfortunately, it was an item that only appeared in ancient times and could not be found in modern times.

"Thanks, Xiaozhi, you've been a huge help this time!!"

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Jian hurriedly went to find Professor Oak to discuss how to use the black gemstone together.

Xiao Zhi smiled, and even the usually composed Xiao Jian had such an excited expression.

He then looked at the Poké Ball in his hand and threw it into the air beside him.

boom!
As the red light fell, a large Gengar appeared.

With its dark purple body, grinning mouth, and red eyes, Gengar was undoubtedly a perfect fit for the Ghost Festival, drawing enthusiastic admiring glances from many at the Pokémon Center.

"Gengga, Gengga~!!"

Gengar pounced on Ash, affectionately nuzzled his cheek, and then picked him up like a toy, spinning him around in mid-air.

"Long time no see, Gengar! You look great!"

Xiao Zhi chuckled and ruffled the latter's hair before breaking free.

What puzzled him was that Gengar's thin physique was supposed to be due to excessive indulgence.
But looking at it now, it seems pretty normal?

"Gengga~!!"

Gengar immediately raised its short, thick arms, showing off its muscles.

As a Ghost Pokémon, it doesn't have any "energy" to begin with, so it's simply doing push-ups.
Push-ups are also a form of exercise!
As one of the first Pokémon Ash captured, Gengar can understand what Ash means even without using Bond Pact.

Ignoring Gengar's fallacious reasoning, Ash then introduced Marnie to the former as well:
"Gengar, this is Marnie, my new companion."

"Geng Ga~!"

Before he could finish speaking, Gengar immediately raised his hand and nudged Ash, then squinted his eyes and made a teasing face.

Mary: "."

Your Gengar is acting like a human.
"Haha, don't worry about the details, Gengar, from now on you'll be following us~"

Marie's team doesn't have any Ghost-type Pokémon, so she doesn't have to worry about being overpowered. "Pikachu!"

"Geng Ga~!"

Pikachu jumped onto Gengar's head, and the mouse and the ghost immediately flew away, ready to explore the town.

The two of them have been partners for many years and know each other very well!

At this moment, the streets of Sudden Town are decorated with Halloween decorations such as pumpkin lanterns, bats, and skeletons, which are quite to Gengar's liking.

It's a pity, it would have been great if it were a real pumpkin monster!
Ash smiled helplessly and let Gengar run around. He and Marie went outside to the street to pick out a mask they liked before heading to the Reign Arena.

He had already made an appointment with Onio, who was currently boiling water in the arena, waiting for Ash to bring the ingredients to make soup.

"You have quite a few masks, huh?"

The vendors' stalls along the way displayed all sorts of masks, but most of them were ghost-themed.

For example, masks like Gengar, Mismagius, and Crymask, and even the Alolan-style Marowak mask, are made entirely of a skeleton.

After a moment's hesitation, Mary finally chose a mask shaped like a cursed doll, which inexplicably fit her aesthetic.

Since Gengar has returned, Ash also chose a black and purple Gengar mask.

To be honest, with their crescent-shaped mouths and glaring red eyes, Cursed Doll and Gengar actually do look somewhat like a married couple.

"Geng Ga!"

In mid-air, Gengar was constantly arresting wild Crying Masks it encountered along the way.

The ghost claw grabbed the crying mask in its hand as if it were a chick.

They forcibly knocked open the stone slab beneath the ruins to confirm the gender before allowing entry, causing several more strings of tears to appear on the corners of the crying masks.

They gather here every year at this time to be fed by people. This year, why is there a strange uncle forcibly examining their bodies?
Gengar exudes an extremely strong sense of oppression, and the vast level difference makes these Weeping Masks dare not resist at all, and can only humiliatingly accept the inspection.
"Geng Ga!"

After inspecting seven or eight crying masks in succession, Gengar's expression gradually became annoyed.

It examined the Crying Mask population in the Unova region, where the male-to-female ratio was roughly 50/50. So why are all the Crying Masks in Galar male?!

Then it has to give the super-powerful Galar region a huge thumbs down!
After choosing their masks, Ash and his friend headed towards the Ancient Arena.

Since there was no Gym Leader to lead the way, the Ghost Festival didn't have any grand events, and everything in the town seemed rather uneventful.

As for the other gym leader, Bea, she has absolutely no interest in Ghost-type festivals.

So I left Suchuan Town early and went to a secluded camping spot in the wild.

"Geng Ga~?"

Gengar, who was floating in mid-air below the two people, suddenly had a bright look in his eyes.

The direction Ash is heading seems to be where the most Ghost-type Pokémon are gathered!
Now, its Galatian conquest plan should proceed smoothly, right?

Gengar immediately flew up with Pikachu at lightning speed, smashing through the ubiquitous Crying Masks along the way.

If you're looking for the place with the most Ghost-type Pokémon during the Ghost Festival, then the Legendary Arena is the place to be.

The sky above wasn't just filled with Crying Masks, but also with many Haunter, Misdreavus, Lizard, and more.
This caused Gengar's eyes to light up instantly, and it immediately pounced on the prey! (End of Chapter)