"Muu-ma, muu-ma."
Misdreavus nodded, glanced at Reiji, then rose into the air. It found the two Gastly zipping around and relayed Saya's message.
"Ko-kyeh, ko-kyeh."
Both Gastly shook their heads. They didn't want a Trainer. Freedom in the castle was too sweet.
"Muu-ma."
Misdreavus drifted down, shaking its head to Saya—Gastly refused.
Saya's face tightened. She looked at Reiji, apology stalled on her tongue. After all he'd done for her, she couldn't even manage this small favor—how was she supposed to repay him?
"Misdreavus, are there any other Gastly?" she pressed. No rush to a bad answer.
"Muu-ma." A slow shake. It played with them often; if the castle had more, it would know.
"Alright—my turn."
Reiji exhaled, held up a hand to stop Saya, and dug a single Pokéblock from his pack—the good kind, rich with life energy. He raised it overhead and called up to the drifting pair.
"Gastly—come with me and I'll cover room and board. This, every day."
"Ko—!"
He never finished the pitch. A blur of purple—Gengar—snatched the block clean before either Gastly even focused on it.
But the smell lingered, and now the whole hall of Ghosts caught the scent. This was the food they craved; Saya brought it sometimes, but not like this.
Because it came from Reiji's hands, the unevolved ones surged toward him all at once, eager to be caught, eager to be fed. Only a few old ghosts held station.
The cold came with them. Reiji's breath smoked. Good thing he'd brought a jacket.
"Sorry, I only want Gastly," he said, teeth threatening to chatter—and shot Saya a help-me look.
"Everyone spread out," Saya told them, voice steady. "Reiji only wants a Gastly. If you stay, you'll still get Pokéblocks. I'll turn the castle into a hotel—when we have money, everyone eats."
At Misdreavus' shooing, the ring loosened. Reiji finally exhaled and looked at the two Gastly left hovering near him. He pulled out two empty Balls.
"Hop in for a bit. I'll take a look and decide which of you stays."
"Ko-kyeh!"
He hadn't even clicked the buttons before both Gastly dove into the Balls on their own.
Freedom was good. But room and board? That sounded better.
He popped the first status panel.
[Gastly]
[Type: Ghost + Poison]
[Gender: Male]
[Potential: 19%]
[Level: 4.43%]
[Ability: Levitate / 2.38%]
[Moves: …]
…
Second Ball.
[Gastly]
[Type: Ghost + Poison]
[Gender: Female]
[Potential: 23%]
[Level: 5.43%]
[Ability: Levitate / 3.34%]
[Moves: …]
Reiji's face fell. Nineteen. Twenty-three.
How was he supposed to choose between… that and that?
Lower than Poliwhirl. If one had scraped into the thirties, fine. But nineteen and twenty-three?
Even at his most desperate, he wasn't catching a Gastly under twenty-five. Not when it might not clear the final evolution floor.
He sighed, let both Balls pop open, and shelved the idea for tonight.
He'd meet other Gastly down the road. These two—no.
So be it. He could wear a few slaps to the face. He hadn't expected to miss even a lowered bar, but here they were.
His "minimum" had been simple: any Gastly with twenty-five potential and a clean path to the final stage. Not a lofty ask.
These… weren't it.
"Reiji, you don't like either?" Saya asked softly. He sounded… disappointed, and she didn't know why.
"It's fine. Let's head back. I need a minute."
Arms heavy, he turned for the door. After all that talk—this? What a joke. What luck.
"Ko-kyeh!"
As Saya moved to swing the great door shut, another Gastly slid out of nowhere and planted itself in Reiji's path, chattering.
"Yobo yobo."
Poliwhirl understood and pointed at Reiji's belt—at the empty Balls. Catch it.
"Catch it? Now?"
Reiji blinked. Hadn't he just checked the list? Gastly all looked the same; maybe it was one of the two from before, angling for a second try.
Resigned, he touched a Ball to the newcomer and flipped the panel.
[Gastly]
[Type: Ghost + Poison]
[Gender: Male]
[Potential: 27%]
[Level: 15.43%]
[Ability: Levitate / 7.92%]
[Moves: …]
"Well, I'll be—"
This wasn't either of the first two. He looked up at Saya.
"I thought you said there were only two Gastly. What's going on with this one?"
"A third one?" Saya stared. Misdreavus had said there were two. So where…?
"Misdreavus?"
She turned to her partner.
"Muu-ma."
Misdreavus drifted to Reiji, tapped the Ball's button, let Gastly out again, and scolded it in a rush—change back, now.
"Ko-kyeh." Gastly shook its head. It wanted the promised room and board. No take-backs.
"Muu—ma."
A quick ghostly slap. Then a huff: You can change back, and then change again later. Use your head.
"Ko-kyeh… oh."
Light burst white and fierce—and Gastly swelled into Haunter.
"Haunter? Then—"
Reiji's beam swept the rafters. No other Haunter in sight.
As if to confirm it, the Haunter pulled a face, flashed again, and slipped back down to Gastly.
Jaw, meet floor.
They had never seen a Pokémon evolve and devolve at will. The other Ghosts barely reacted. Old news to them.
"Unreal," Reiji breathed. "All this… for food?"
Haunter's stunt had rocked him. He'd only ever seen devolution tricks in the old shows.
Slowpoke shedding Shellder. Sabrina's Abra… other one-offs.
Exeggutor dropped Exeggcute and just… kept being itself. And Team Rocket's Eevee test subject—evolving and devolving at will.
This Haunter—this Gastly—had found the seam. It could decide when to evolve and when to step back.
Then it's you.
"Miss Saya, I'm taking this Haunter," he said, then addressed the Gastly it had become. "Gastly, want to be my partner?"
"Ko-kyeh!"
Head bobs like a drumroll. Room and board… deal.
"One condition. Pokéblocks in plenty—but you do not drain my life. Can you do that?"
A man with a progress panel didn't die young. Not if he could help it.
"Ko-kyeh."
Tongue flick to tiny fangs. A quick nod, and a promise—Poliwhirl got the oath too. No draining the Trainer.
"Good. In you go."
Poliwhirl nodded back. Reiji lifted the Ball; Gastly tapped the button with its forehead and vanished in red.
He opened the panel again, curious whether the evolve/devolve trick had left a mark.
[Gastly]
[Type: Ghost + Poison]
[Gender: Male]
[Potential: 27.30%]
[Level: 14.43%]
[Ability: Levitate / 7.92%]
[Moves: (Confuse Ray / 8.57%) (Lick / 10.55%) (Hypnosis / 9.41%) (Mean Look / 7.48%) (Curse / 6.15%) (Hex / 5.23%) (Will-O-Wisp / 8.45%) (Toxic / 3.84%) (Shadow Ball / 4.82%) (Dream Eater / 9.12%) (Destiny Bond / 2.63%) (Payback / 4.26%) (Dark Pulse / 3.41%)]
[Not training for now: Night Shade, Spite, Nightmare, Haze, Smog…]
"Nice. Deep move pool," Reiji said, studying the sheet. Most of the higher proficiencies orbited scaring people; the rest were middling. Gengar's tutoring, no doubt. And this Gastly had been here a long time to learn this much.
"Wait."
He looked again—potential up a hair, level down a hair.
Evolve raises potential. Devolve shaves level?
He knew the first. The second was new.
A crack in the wall?
If a Pokémon could evolve and devolve at will… could you grind potential to the ceiling?
Don't get greedy.
Still—he couldn't help the itch. Slowpoke could shed Shellder. Abra… needed a psychic Trainer's help; he had no psychic gift. But Slowpoke and Shellder? Bite to evolve, let go to devolve. Loopable.
Other cases? Special individuals only. He'd already won the lottery once. Twice would be asking too much.
Four special ones was a lot already: the giant-clawed Kingler, the water-braving Rhyhorn with a steel head, Croagunk with absurd Poison talent—and now a Gastly that could toggle evolution. Enough to chase an Elite—no, a higher ceiling.
If more of these popped up later, great—catch and train. If not, no use dreaming.
For now, study this Gastly. Who knew how low it started before it "carded the bug" up to twenty-seven. Later, he'd test the edge.
"Let's head back, Saya. And thanks for helping with Gastly—we're square."
He pocketed the Ball and started for the door. He'd thought a dozen things in the space of a few breaths, but "we're square" was the point—no debt hanging on her.
A trade was a trade: he brought the hotel plan; she helped him catch a Gastly. Call it even.
"Reiji, I've got a dozen hotel questions—can I… ask?"
Happier now that he had what he wanted, Saya waved the castle Ghosts toward light cleaning—opening day wasn't far—and fell in step with him, peppering him with ideas.
He answered what he could on the walk, and the talk stretched long, long enough to lose the hour.
By the time he reached the Pokémon Center, he didn't know what time it was—only that he fell face-first into sleep. Morning came to Shun's knock.
Shun ran off to the Bug-Catching Contest. Reiji saw him out with a few words and collapsed again.
And then came the second knock. He cracked the door to find the girl he'd talked with half the night, smiling and waving from the hall.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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