Professor Oak left cursing up a storm.
No matter how much he cajoled—even offering temptations like "Hayashi, want a pseudo-legendary baby? Shiny Beldum? Larvitar? Full growth resources included!" and "Hayashi, want a shiny female Ralts?"—this bastard remained as stubborn as a mule, dead set against participating in his research.
Erina glanced at Hayashi and sighed helplessly. "I don't know how rare pseudo-legendaries or shiny Ralts are, but if someone of Professor Oak's standing is offering them as bargaining chips, they must be incredibly valuable, right?"
Hayashi nodded. "Pseudo-legendaries are essentially the Pokémon with the highest base stats in this world, second only to legendary Pokémon. And a shiny female Ralts is even more valuable than a pseudo-legendary—just compare it to your God's Tongue to understand."
God's Tongue?
Beside them, Hisako's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, so Professor Oak offered you something equivalent to the God's Tongue in exchange for helping with his research, and you still refused!?"
Hayashi looked at Hisako. He could clearly see the word "waste" in her right eye and "disgrace" in her left—such undisguised condemnation made him twitch at the corner of his mouth. "It's just an analogy, not literally the God Tongue!"
"Oh—"
Hisako realized her mistake and gave an awkward laugh before hiding behind the exasperated Erina, keeping her eyes down like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
Erina shook her head with a mix of amusement and exasperation, then turned her gaze to the grinning Gengar beside her. "Gengar's crisis has been resolved too. From now on, you can happily live in this house," she said.
"Gheh gheh!" Gengar scratched her head and then cheerfully bowed to Erina and Hayashi—this was her way of thanking the two for their help.
The house had been purchased by Professor Oak. As long as the professor, the owner, didn't say otherwise, Gengar couldn't be evicted. As for those adventurous haunted house enthusiasts? They wouldn't dare trespass on the property of a globally renowned Pokémon professor. If he made a single call to the police claiming important documents were missing, they'd be in serious trouble.
"Don't thank us—Professor Oak was the one who paid for it," Hayashi chuckled. "But if you really want to show your gratitude, how about letting us stay here tonight? It's getting late, and I'd rather not sleep outdoors."
"Gheh!" Gengar immediately patted her chest, as if to say, "Leave it to me!"
"Well then, we'll be imposing for the night—"
...
...
"Gheh—"
Gengar's eyes were empty, distant, bewildered, and full of existential doubt.
At noon, Erina's hastily prepared curry had already made her feel the disparities of the world. But tonight, the lavish feast Erina had carefully prepared had left Gengar a whole rounder Pokémon.
"Pfft... burp..."
Gengar let out a belch, then rubbed her swollen belly with a dazed look, staring blankly at the ceiling as she tried to etch the flavors of dishes like "braised pork belly," "sweet and sour ribs," "cola chicken wings," and "spicy and sour shredded potatoes" deep into her memory.
It seemed Erina's cooking style was gradually leaning toward ordinary dishes—otherwise, she might have whipped up something like "boiled cabbage in superior broth."
At least when I'm starving later, I'll have some taste to remember... Though it wasn't even midnight yet, Gengar already felt herself slipping into an emo state.
"Whew—"
Hayashi plopped down on the sofa next to Gengar and stretched. "So—since it's still early, how about we find something fun to do?"
Erina, who had been reading a book about Pokéblocks, looked up and asked, "Like what?"
"Hmm—"
Hayashi crossed his arms and tilted his head in thought for a few seconds. "Since we've got Gengar here as the mood-setter, how about we take turns telling ghost stories?"
At this, Erina and Hisako immediately shook their heads. Erina refused without hesitation, "No, absolutely not!"
Hisako chimed in, "Besides, if we tell ghost stories, Gengar can't participate! She'd feel left out!"
Unlike Hayashi, who had been blessed by the Interdimensional Gate and could understand Pokémon speech, they couldn't.
"True! Only I can understand Gengar. If she tells a story and I have to repeat it, it'd lose the vibe—" Hayashi stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, so we need a game Gengar can join in on?"
After some thought, Hayashi snapped his fingers and said, "How about we play the simplest card game—Old Maid?"
"Ghee!?"
Gengar looked curious as she struggled to sit up from the sofa and crawled over to Hayashi. "Ghee?"
What's this Old Maid thing?
"The rules are like this—" Hayashi patiently explained the game to Gengar. Seeing her nod with an expression that seemed to say, "That's it? Easy peasy!" he immediately called over Erina and Hisako to join.
And so, Gengar, Hayashi, Erina, and Hisako formed a circle on the plush carpet. Eevee sprawled across Hayashi's lap, Pikachu nestled in Erina's arms, and Florges, as always, dangled from Hisako's wrist. As for Milcery...
#CheckingMilceryStatus #WhatIsMilceryDoing #MilceryLocation
Oh, Milcery was still just a baby, already sound asleep and snoring sweetly inside her Poké Ball.
"Heh heh, alright, let's begin—"
After removing all the pairs from his hand, Hayashi rubbed his hands together and turned to Gengar beside him. "Gengar, don't expect any mercy from me!"
"G-Ghee!"
Gengar clutched her cards with her stubby hands, staring at Hayashi as if he weren't just picking a card but about to steal her heart.
"Let me see—"
Hayashi's hand hovered over the cards while his eyes studied Gengar's expressions.
Soon, he noticed that when his hand moved over most cards, Gengar looked serious and tense. But when it neared the third card on the left, her expression turned excited, and when he touched that very card, she grew nervous again.
'This is too fun! It's like music to my ears!'
Amused, Hayashi slid his hand back and forth over Gengar's cards, watching her expression cycle between seriousness, anticipation, and tension.
"Pfft—"
A few seconds later, Erina couldn't hold back her laughter and nudged Hayashi's shoulder. "You're so mean! Stop teasing Gengar!"
"Ahahaha—"
Hayashi burst into booming laughter, while Gengar tilted her head in confusion, looking utterly lost.
"Ghee?"
Wha-what? What's so funny!?
"N-nothing—" Hayashi waved his hand, still catching his breath. "Just thought you were really cute, Gengar."
"Ghee!"
A-again!
Why do you always say such embarrassing things to Gengar!?
Blushing furiously, Gengar covered her face and flopped onto the carpet, rolling back and forth while squealing, "Ghee ghee!"
So embarrassing, so embarrassing!
Hayashi rubbed his nose with a bemused expression. Why did this Gengar seem so easy to fluster?
...
...
After nearly an hour of playing Old Maid, the slightly bored group decided to switch games! Hayashi then took out his laptop and controller from his backpack, sat on the sofa, and started watching Gengar play Resident Evil together with Erina and Hisako.
When the zombie head emerged from the sewer, Gengar threw the controller in fright, "whooshed" into Hayashi's shadow, and let out a series of "Gyaa gyaa!" screams.
Erina couldn't help but ask, "What did Gengar just say?"
Hayashi covered his face and replied, "She said, 'The shadow moved! I quit!'"
Erina and Hisako were dumbfounded. They exchanged glances before bursting into simultaneous peals of melodious, crystalline laughter.
"She's a Ghost-type Pokémon! Why is she so timid?!"
"Hahaha, she's too adorable!"
Hearing their mocking laughter from within Hayashi's shadow, Gengar angrily emerged, plopped down in front of the computer, and grabbed the controller again.
"Gyaa gyaa!"
W-who's scared?! I'm not scared at all! Let's just play!
"She's flustered—" Hayashi blinked, barely suppressing his laughter. "So she wants to prove herself."
"Hahaha—"
Amidst Erina and Hisako's laughter, Gengar continued her furious exploration of Resident Evil, until...
"GYAAA!!"
Help help help! Save me! SAVE ME!
Terrified, Gengar curled into a ball and burrowed into Hayashi's arms, shoving aside the sleeping Eevee who had been resting on his lap.
"Eve?!"
Eevee woke up cursing, angrily searching for whoever disturbed her peaceful nap—only to see a trembling...
purple ball?
"Ahem, it's okay, it's okay—" Hayashi comforted Gengar while barely holding back his laughter. "So you died once! We'll try again—you can do it!"
The game was currently at the opening of Chapter 2, where Ethan wakes up in the dining room, retrieves a key from the hallway table, and opens the underground passage door. But by now, Gengar had been so terrified by the "father-in-law's" horrifying chase and maniacal laughter that she'd literally changed colors.
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