Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Life at the seaside home flowed gently with the tides and the changing seasons.

Zhang Jianying began packing his bags, planning his route to continue challenging the Sinnoh League.

A subtle, unsettling feeling had been lingering in his mind lately, a feeling that originated from Gastly.

Over the past two days, Zhang Jianying gradually noticed that Gastly was acting differently.

The most obvious change is its size.

The already rounded purple gas body has recently become even fuller and more solid. When it floats, it has lost some of its former light and eerie charm and gained a heavy weight. Even its signature big tongue, when it flicks, has a strange comical quality due to its increased size.

At first, Zhang Jianying thought it was an illusion, or a natural manifestation of abundant ghost-type energy.

But after observing for several days, especially after seeing Haunter almost greedily devour extra Energy Cubes at dinner, he became certain: Haunter was indeed growing sideways.

"Turtle has a natural talent and a strong foundation, so it's only natural that it evolved into a magnificent size after becoming Torterra..."

Zhang Jianying wondered to himself, "What is this, Gui Gui?"

Is it true that Ghost-type Pokémon can gain weight? Master Gustav's high-tech Energy Cube has such a powerful aftereffect.

What bothers him even more is Gastly's recent behavior.

Haunter seems particularly keen on exploring the shadowy ancient ruins near its home and traversing the spirit world, often playing until the wee hours of the morning. It's fortunate that Ghost-types don't die suddenly.

Zhang Jianying initially thought it was just its innate exploratory instincts and mischievous spirit at work, but now, combined with this abnormal change in size, he felt it wasn't that simple.

After dinner that day, Zhang Jianying seized the opportunity when Gastly was about to sneak out for a "night stroll" again, and called out to it alone on the tree-lined path leading from the villa to the ruins.

"Hey, wait a minute."

"Heh heh?"

Gastly floated back in confusion, blinking its big eyes.

Zhang Jianying carefully chose his words, pointing to Gastly's noticeably swollen body: "I've noticed you've been working particularly hard lately, and your appetite has been unusually good... Is there some special goal you have? Or are you experiencing any unusual physical sensations? Like a particularly abundant energy level, or perhaps something is on your mind?"

Gastly's floating body stiffened for a moment.

A hint of guilt at being seen through flashed in its large white eyes, which were quickly filled with a mixture of grievance and urgency.

"Hehehe! Hehe!"

It cried out excitedly, and its two claws, made of mist, began to gesture wildly.

First, he pointed to the silhouette of the earthen tortoise resting quietly like a small mountain under the moonlight in the distance, then he patted his own sturdy "chest" hard, making a muffled thud, and his face showed an extremely anthropomorphic "envy" and "anxiety".

Then, it gestured with its paws, one high and one low, trying to express a contrast between short and tall, and its resentment that "it has become so big, why am I still like this?"

Gastly manipulated the purple mist around its body, sketching in the air, first drawing a crooked but distinctive Gastly sketch.

Then, it frantically "smeared" and added mist around the simple drawing, as if to say "I want to grow bigger" and "I want to accumulate more".

Finally, the outline of a round Gengar was drawn!

Because it was outlined by mist, the contours were somewhat blurry and unstable, but the "chubby" charm was simply overwhelming.

Gastly pointed at the "Gengar" it had drawn, then pointed forcefully at itself, and then spread its paws, making an extremely distressed "Why am I not like this?!" expression.

Its entire gaseous body slumped down, as if all its strength had been drained away. It let out two melancholy cackling sounds, "Why have I only gained weight despite all my hard work?"

Zhang Jianying stared blankly for two seconds at Gastly's series of actions.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, connecting all the clues! He finally remembered something he felt he had forgotten—damn it, he forgot to evolve Ghost!

He already knew that Gastly needed to communicate with others to evolve into Gengar.

During the six months of hellish training under Master Gustav, top-tier high-tech energy cubes were supplied almost like candy, so Gastly and the others should have accumulated enough energy to reach the level required for evolution long ago.

He remembered thinking about this once when he was checking the encyclopedia to confirm information...

But later, the fragments of time and space appeared, exploration occurred, Torterra was injured during evolution, Claymore was captured, home was built, and Cynthia visited.

A series of events kept him so busy that he completely forgot about the specific execution step of "taking Gastly to the research institute for formal communication exchange"!

Gastly had seen Gengar in the wild and knew that it was a more powerful form of itself, but it had no idea that evolution required the specific trigger condition of "communication exchange". Moreover, its best friend Torterra had already evolved into its final form, while it had not made any progress.

In its anxiety, Gastly simply believed that it had not accumulated enough energy or needed some special opportunity, so it desperately ate more and traveled through the spirit world to absorb unique energy in an attempt to complete its evolution.

As a result, energy did accumulate further, but due to the lack of key triggering conditions, it only manifested as the expansion of the gaseous body, and the door to evolution was not even opened.

"It's my fault! It's all my fault!"

After figuring everything out, Zhang Jianying smiled sheepishly and quickly explained, "Guigui, I'm sorry, it was my oversight! You could have evolved a long time ago! But it's not by eating more or absorbing more energy from the spirit world. You need a special process called 'communication exchange.' There's no such professional magnetic field near our home, and the spirit world area you went to probably doesn't have this trigger point either."

He immediately raised his hand to reassure the aggrieved purple gas in front of him: "Okay, we'll set off first thing the day after tomorrow, our first stop will be Professor Yamanashi's lab! Using their professional communication equipment, I guarantee you'll evolve into Gengar smoothly and safely!"

"Although the Pokédex has basic communication functions, I want to witness the final evolution firsthand!"

As Gastly listened to Zhang Jianying's explanation, the emotions in its big eyes changed rapidly: first blankness, then sudden realization, and then a huge wave of grief and indignation swept over it!

"Jehovah—?!!"

A piercing scream, so intense it became distorted, shattered the stillness of the night!

It looked at its reflection in the stream, and examined its unusually robust purple aura, now made even more solid by its "misguided efforts." The image of a proportionally enlarged, round "Gengar" that it had just sketched uncontrollably surfaced in its mind…

Could it be... that after evolution, it will become like that?!

A fat Gengar that might float up panting, lacking any of the mysterious and terrifying aura of a ghost-type creature, but instead exuding an "adorable" vibe?!

It seemed to have already seen the future: being mercilessly mocked by the baby dragon, being pitied and watched by its wild kin, and having its lifelong reputation ruined in an instant!

"Heh heh heh!! It's all your fault! How could you forget something so important!"

Extreme grief and anger instantly transformed into concrete action. Gastly pounced forward, its misty claws viciously gripping Zhang Jianying's neck.

Zhang Jianying obediently tilted his head back, rolled his eyes, stuck out his tongue, and pleaded in a deliberately comical, breath-holding tone, "I can't breathe!... Ghost, have mercy!"

The more it made that funny face, the angrier Gastly became, its mist billowing up! It was clearly mocking its complete lack of intimidation!

"Jehovah—!"

Gastly released its "clamping" and spun wildly in mid-air like a top several times in anger. Finally, it glared fiercely at Zhang Jianying, then its purple gas rippled and it disappeared into the shadow of a nearby tree.

Tonight! Tonight alone!

This forgetful and despicable trainer must experience what a truly "unforgettable" prank is!

Zhang Jianying looked in the direction it disappeared, shook his head and chuckled, feeling both guilty and amused by his own silly dog.

He returned to his study in the villa and immediately dialed the encrypted communication line of Dr. Yamanashi's research institute.

"Good evening, Doctor. I urgently need your help with something. It's about my Haunter; it's time for it to evolve."

Zhang Jianying explained the situation in detail, including how Gastly "overexerted itself" due to a misunderstanding of the evolutionary conditions, resulting in energy stagnation and body expansion. He also inquired about the usage procedures of the institute's communication exchange equipment and whether he could be present to observe the evolution process up close.

"Can."

Dr. Yamanashi pushed up his glasses on the other end of the screen, his tone as concise as ever.

The doctor paused for a moment: "In addition, I have completed the preliminary analysis of the detailed data you provided earlier regarding the successful evolution of Dual Blade Maru into the Emerald Form. Although there are no abnormalities, it would be best to conduct a detailed examination."

"I understand, thank you, Doctor."

Zhang Jianying was completely relieved and confirmed the visit itinerary with the doctor.

……

Meanwhile, while Zhang Jianying and his group were exploring those tense days within the fragments of time and space, a vibrant game was unfolding day after day in the Padiya region, far across the ocean.

On the edge of a quiet town in Padiya, in the woodlands, an energetic and curious green cat is enthusiastically chasing a pair of white mice that are scurrying about in a panic.

The green kitten's eyes sparkled with pure mischief, its sharp claws were neatly tucked in, showing no intention of hunting.

It just found the pair of mice squeaking and squeaking as they were chased, squeezing through holes and climbing walls with their tiny bodies, and looking extremely amusing.

It's like a never-ending chase game full of surprises and challenges.

Its greatest pleasure is scaring them and watching their reactions.

The two mice were terrified by the "bully cat." They couldn't understand why the green cat was so "fond" of them. Although they knew there was no danger to their lives, the green kitten was just too frightening for them.

The two mice could only run away desperately, barely managing to maneuver by relying on their familiarity with the terrain and their teamwork.

This chase scene unknowingly spread from the forest to the edge of the town, and reached its climax when a cargo ship carrying specialty ingredients set sail for the Sinnoh region sounded its horn at the town's dock.

Two mice were cornered by the cat at the dock. In their panic, they seized an opportunity and squeezed into the gap of a half-open cargo container that was about to be loaded onto a ship.

The green cat's eyes lit up, sensing that the game had entered an even more interesting "maze level," and with a light leap, it quietly followed it in.

With a long blast of its horn, the cargo ship slowly departed from the dock and headed towards the vast sea.

When the three little ones "encountered" each other again in the clutter of the cargo container and started a new round of chasing and playing as usual, they realized that the surrounding environment had changed from the familiar Padiya dock to the swaying cabin and the boundless blue outside the window.

After the initial panic, they worked together to face their common predicament.

A vast ocean, a swaying ship cabin, and limited food.

A subtle "sea-drifting alliance" has formed between the cat and the mouse.

The crate, piled high with cushions and miscellaneous items, became their temporary island and sanctuary.

Sometimes the green cat tries to "fish" for fish swimming by the side of the boat with its tail, and occasionally it can actually pull up a bewildered Magikarp, which it then disdainfully throws back into the sea.

The mice carefully collect, store, and share the limited food they find.

They will still occasionally start a new round of chasing because of a glance, a snatching of food, or simply boredom, adding sound and "vitality" to the monotonous drifting days.

But more often than not, they would lie on the edge of the cargo container, gazing at the unfamiliar and vast ocean and sky, their eyes filled with a sense of bewilderment and a touch of curiosity about the future.

Wind, waves, turbulence, sun, and the occasional flock of long-winged gulls that curiously observe them...

This unexpected and long transoceanic journey was full of uncertainty and small adventures.

When the cargo ship finally arrived at the port in the southeast of the Sinnoh region, and the cargo containers were unloaded and piled up in the warehouse area, the green cat and the two mice, who had been relying on each other for a long time, or rather, had been struggling together for a long time, were exhausted but full of curiosity about the unfamiliar land, finally set foot on the land of the scenic area.

Instinctively following the aroma of food in the air, they unwittingly made their way towards the private territory that would later be known as "Seaside House".

Meanwhile, inside the villa, Zhang Jianying had just finished a call with Dr. Yamanashi and was completely unaware of the three "smugglers" who were about to quietly "infiltrate" his backyard.

……

It was late at night.

In his sleep, Zhang Jianying vaguely returned to that moonlit beach.

A blonde figure, dressed in a navy blue swimsuit, emerged from the waves, water droplets sliding down her perfect body curves.

She looked at him, her gray eyes holding a familiar, subtle provocation and amusement. She slowly approached, extending her finger as if to gently trace his neck, just like last time…

My heart was racing, and the atmosphere was enchanting.

However, just as their fingertips were about to touch—

Cynthia's face suddenly contorted and flickered violently, like a screen with a poor signal!

The next second, that stunningly beautiful face transformed into the thick, large face of the woman with the smug lips!

Her bright red lips still held a smile, but that smile now filled Zhang Jianying with horror!

"Come on, Coach! Let's train together!"

A strange, mixed voice came from inside, and someone opened their arms to embrace them.

"Holy crap!!!"

Zhang Jianying was terrified, letting out a broken scream. He sprang up from the bed like a spring, his body instantly drenched in cold sweat, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest.

He was still in shock, panting heavily in the dark room. It took him a long time to recover from the extremely disturbing images, and he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with lingering fear.

He stared wide-eyed in terror as he scanned the dark room, as if the terrifying "Jealous Lips" was still lurking in the shadows.

"Holy crap, this is a ghost... What kind of nightmare is this...?"

He muttered to himself, completely unaware that in the shadows of the corner of the room, a solid mass of purple gas was covering its mouth, its body trembling violently from suppressing laughter, its large white eyes curving into crescents.

The prank was a success! Extremely effective!

Haunter, satisfied, sank into the deepest part of the shadows, feeling the exhilaration of revenge, and peacefully drifted off to sleep.

As for whether evolving at the research institute the day after tomorrow will really turn it into a fat Gengar... well, we'll see. Things will work themselves out.

Gardevoir, jolted awake from its meditation by a scream, looked at the mischievous Ghost and the Trainer, shook its head and smiled gently, transmitting a soft psychic energy wave to help the Trainer soothe its mental stress.

Meanwhile, in the home, three little visitors from the Padiya region are quietly approaching, drawn by the light and warmth.

The threads of fate, unnoticed by anyone, quietly weave a new chapter.