Which Legendary Pokémon is it?
Aoki had asked from the sidelines, but the old man just smiled and said nothing.
This time, he directly took out such a precious crystal—was it really just for the sake of that Pokémon?
But that Legendary Pokémon had only been in contact with Mismagius. Why was the old man so determined to give him such a big benefit?
That was the doubt in Aoki's heart, but now Haunter was already evolving.
As the old man threw the black crystal into Haunter's body, its physical transformation began.
The sharp spikes on its small back gradually shrank, while the ear-like extensions remained unchanged. The hands, which once floated separately from its body, were now linked together, and two round feet appeared below, along with a short tail.
Its previously slender form began to swell, like a figure expanding into a new shape.
The entire body transformed into a grinning face.
Its eyes were tightly closed.
"Gengar!!"
With a chilling cackle, Haunter completed its evolution into Gengar. The white glow faded, and its eyes snapped open—their once-white hue now a piercing light red, giving off an even more imposing presence.
Haunter evolved successfully!
With Gengar's evolution, the three Pokémon belonging to the old man withdrew their control over the surrounding Ghost energy.
A massive surge of Ghost energy once again overwhelmed the area, rushing toward Gengar.
But this time, Gengar no longer felt the excruciating pain that Haunter had. Now, Gengar had fully adapted to absorbing and controlling the energy influx.
Closing its eyes, Gengar focused on the flow of energy within its body.
It quickly noticed a strange, incompatible energy lingering inside. While it didn't hinder Gengar's control over itself, the presence of an energy completely at odds with its own was unsettling.
So, what should it do?
Absorb it!
The surrounding Ghost energy continued pouring into Gengar, fueling its strength. Within its body, an internal battle was taking place.
All of the ordinary energies inside it aggressively entangled with the foreign energy.
Aoki and the old man stood silently by, observing the process.
Aoki scanned Gengar using his System, watching the ever-changing data fluctuate without stabilization.
The old man, however, remained calm—clearly aware of the changes occurring within Gengar.
Ten minutes later, Gengar's data finally stabilized.
"Oh? Not bad. This Gengar managed to absorb and assimilate that energy so quickly," the old man said, his eyes gleaming with interest.
The strange energy had been stubborn, but it couldn't withstand Gengar's sheer dominance in numbers.
Now, that foreign energy had completely merged with Gengar, and as a result, its potential had surged to a dark teal ranking.
It might only barely qualify, but it was still dark teal.
With the ample energy available here, Gengar's level had also risen significantly.
Gengar - Dark Teal
Gender: Male
Level: 40
Type: Ghost/Poison
Ability: Cursed Body
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Fire Punch, Mean Look, Haze
Basic Moves: Shadow Punch, Hypnosis, Lick, Spite, Mean Look, Curse, Night Shade, Confuse Ray, Astonish, Payback, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater
Learnt Moves: Rest, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Skill Swap, Snore, Perish Song
TM Moves: Protect, Hidden Power (Grass), Sleep Talk, Toxic, Taunt, Poison Jab, Venoshock, Thunderbolt
Just like that, Gengar had broken through to the Elite level.
Was it because of the sheer energy? Or the black crystal?
Regardless, it was undeniable that Gengar had made great progress.
Its potential had officially reached dark teal—though it was the shallowest among all of Aoki's Pokémon at this rank, the System had confirmed it.
What surprised Aoki even more was that Gengar had learned Perish Song—was it because of the black crystal?
Gengar was still adjusting to its new body. It was used to floating freely, but now it had to walk on two feet.
Its once-thin form had grown massive, and its hands, previously detached, were now firmly connected to its body, making movement feel slightly awkward.
Slowly, it walked over to Aoki.
"Gengar!"
Standing at 1.5 meters, Gengar was now shoulder-height with Aoki, but its bulk made it seem several times larger.
"Mismagius~"
Mismagius floated around Gengar, having watched its entire transformation.
So this is Pokémon evolution…?
When she evolved, she hadn't felt much of anything.
But now, seeing Gengar's drastic changes firsthand, she found it fascinating.
Curious, Mismagius reached out with her tiny hands to touch Gengar's body.
What had once been an ethereal gas-like form now felt solid.
Finding it amusing, she began to play around Gengar, inspecting him from all angles.
Aoki chuckled. "Your evolution is finally complete, Gengar! And your strength has skyrocketed. We should really thank the old man for his help."
Hearing Aoki's words, Gengar awkwardly nodded toward the old gentleman.
In fact, he wanted to bow, but his new body was still hard to control…
And… he was kind of fat. He couldn't bend.
The old man smiled and nodded, accepting Gengar's thanks. "Let's go. Gengar gained a lot this time. It's normal for him to feel unaccustomed to his body. He can spend some time learning from my Gengar."
The old man's Gengar had reached Elite Four level and had lived for countless years—a true veteran.
When the two Gengars stood together, it was clear that the old man's Gengar was significantly larger.
Aoki recalled Mismagius, leaving only Gengar outside as they exited the cave.
Waiting outside, Phoebe and her grandmother smiled as Aoki and the old man emerged.
Phoebe's grandmother asked with a knowing grin, "How did it go? Was the evolution successful?"
The old man nodded with satisfaction.
Aoki bowed slightly. "Thank you again for all your help. I promise to fulfill what you've entrusted me with."
Aoki spent the night deep inside Mt. Pyre. The next morning, after expressing his gratitude once more, he left with his now fully mobile Gengar and the ever-cheerful Mismagius.
Staying too long in such a heavily Ghost-infused environment could even corrode his Psychic Powers…
After Aoki left, Phoebe turned to her grandfather.
"Grandpa, was it really okay to use that thing like that?"
The old man chuckled. "I had already used up all I could from it. He carries the aura of that Pokémon… I hope it will draw its attention."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"It's a shame we'll never see that Pokémon again. But… he doesn't know what we're really guarding. Nor does he know… what that place truly is…"