Evolution— Haunter!

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After parting ways with Ash, Zephyr wandered alone in the Viridian Forest for another seven days.

During this time, he found several nests of Beedrill. Using clever tricks, he distracted them and collected their honey.

Not just that, Zephyr discovered other useful resources. He found Spearow eggs in nests, Magikarp eggs in the river, and small, unconscious mushrooms sprouting in the forest. All these could be collected and used.

In a few days, Zephyr's points soared past 1,000.

Gastly's combat power also reached 260 points, with its evolution value climbing to 95%. In the Viridian Forest, Gastly was now a dominant force. It could easily handle three or five Beedrill at once.

Despite its combat strength, Gastly hadn't learned any new moves.

Zephyr spotted a Pidgey in the forest and instructed Gastly to use Hypnosis. Pidgey collapsed, unable to fight back.

"Come out, Shiny Weedle," Zephyr said, tossing a Poké Ball.

The Shiny Weedle emerged, its red eyes glowing faintly. Over the past days, Zephyr had trained it thoroughly. Its Bloodlust ability now allowed it to consume other Pokémon and grow stronger.

The Shiny Weedle crawled toward the unconscious Pidgey. Its red eyes shone brighter as it activated Bloodlust. Without hesitation, it began to devour the Pidgey. The scene was brutal, but Zephyr watched calmly.

[Ding! Shiny Weedle has activated Bloodlust, successfully consumed Pidgey. Combat power +15. Evolution value +10%.]

Zephyr checked its status:

Name: Shiny Weedle

Type: Bug/Poison

Abilities: Poison Sting, String Shot, Feint

Special Ability: Bloodlust

Evolution Value: 80% (Next stage: Kakuna)

Combat Power: 150

Zephyr nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad for a Weedle. Even most wild Beedrill don't reach this level."

Wild Pokémon were generally weaker than trained ones. But occasionally, exceptionally strong wild Pokémon appeared—those were the exceptions.

Having finished the task, Zephyr returned to a small wooden hut deep in the forest. It had originally belonged to a Samurai Boy who had left after parting with Ash.

"That's convenient. I can stay here for now," Zephyr muttered.

He looked at Gastly. "You've grown stronger, but don't evolve just yet. Suppressing evolution will let you gain more combat power before transforming."

Gastly nodded, floating beside him eagerly.

Zephyr turned to Shiny Weedle. "The same goes for you. Push your limits before evolving. The stronger you get now, the greater your potential later."

Shiny Weedle chirped in agreement.

"Let's rest early. Tomorrow, we'll gather more resources and then head to Viridian City. We've spent enough time in this forest."

Zephyr pulled out a sleeping bag from his backpack and lay down in the hut.

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Ten days had passed since Zephyr left Pallet Town. Gastly and Shiny Weedle had grown significantly stronger. It was time to head to Viridian City and report back to his father.

Viridian City was home to a Gym controlled by Team Rocket. In the original timeline, Ash had found the Gym closed. Zephyr wanted to see if it was open now—and whether Team Rocket members would recognize him.

If they did, it could prove useful. Team Rocket had considerable influence in the Kanto region. Having their support could ease Zephyr's future plans.

However, he doubted they would recognize him—or even know who his father was. Still, it was worth confirming.

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The next day, Zephyr explored the forest with Gastly and Shiny Weedle, battling wild Pokémon to gain strength.

Gastly's combat power reached 300 points, and its evolution value maxed out.

"Can you suppress it?" Zephyr asked.

Gastly roared softly, pointing toward a Spearow nest. They had visited it before—over a dozen Spearow lived there.

[Ding! Five meters ahead, a Spearow detected.

A flying-type Pokémon, Spearow is highly territorial and aggressive. It will attack intruders without hesitation. While it cannot fly high or far, it is very fast.]

Known Moves: Peck, Leer, Fury Attack

Combat Power: 40

Several Spearow stats flashed on Zephyr's system interface. None of them seemed particularly strong.

"Let's handle them," Zephyr ordered.

Gastly floated forward, releasing a Dark Pulse that struck several Spearow. Then it followed up with Hypnosis, putting most of them to sleep.

The remaining Spearow fled in panic.

The incapacitated Spearow became Gastly's prey. Using its Devour ability, Gastly absorbed their energy. However, once Gastly's combat power reached 300, its progress slowed significantly, increasing by only a single point at a time.

Gastly's body began to glow.

Zephyr realized it could no longer suppress its evolution. "Let it happen," he said, stepping back.

Gastly devoured the remaining Spearow during the process, using the evolution to digest the excess energy.

[Ding! Gastly has successfully evolved into Haunter.]

[Congratulations! Your first Pokémon evolution has earned you 500 points.]

Zephyr grinned. "Not bad. Let's check your stats."

Name: Haunter

Type: Ghost/Poison

Abilities: Lick, Night Shade, Spite, Venom Drench, Hypnosis, Shadow Ball, Confuse Ray, Double Team

Special Ability: Devour

Evolution Value: 0% (Next stage: Gengar)

Combat Power: 510

"510 combat power, huh? And you've learned Confuse Ray and Double Team. Those are great moves," Zephyr remarked.

Haunter hovered near Zephyr, its now-visible hands gesturing excitedly. It looked more intimidating than before, with a mischievous grin on its face.

"Alright, we're done here. Time to head to Viridian City!" Zephyr declared.

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