Gengar: "I’m So Strong Now!"

Its body was round and dark purple, with small stubby arms and legs. Spiky protrusions jutted from its back, along with... a short, stubby tail.

Gengar!

The newly evolved Gengar grinned wide, flashing rows of perfectly white teeth that stood out starkly against its body's deep purple hue.

"Ka-kaah!ヽ(▼皿▼ヽ)"

"The King of Your Nightmares is back!"

Bill shivered involuntarily, rubbing his arms.

"Th-this is Gengar... It's so cold in here!"

Gengar looked down at its left hand, then its right. Slowly, it clenched its fist.

Hmm! I feel so much stronger now!

It opened its fist again, and a swirling, jet-black Shadow Ball appeared.

Cackling wickedly, Gengar hurled the Shadow Ball—straight into its own mouth.

Bill: "..."

Next, Gengar raised its stubby legs, inspecting them carefully.

"Ka-kaah?"

It paused, sensing something behind it, and twisted around to look.

Its stubby tail wagged back and forth with little "chu-chu-chu" noises.

"Ka-kaah..."

I can't see it...

Click!

Johan whipped out his phone, capturing the adorable moment. In no time, he uploaded the picture online with the caption: "Terrifying Gengar wagging its tail!"

Honestly, even a Farfetch'd could learn Iron Tail, but not Gengar? That seemed unfair.

However...

Now that Haunter had evolved into Gengar, Johan's phone storage was doomed. It would soon be overflowing with Gengar reaction memes.

Gengar leaned closer to Johan, using the photo to finally get a glimpse of its own backside.

"Ka-Ka-kaah?"

A... tail?

"What do you think? Pretty cute, huh?" Johan teased, waving his phone.

Cute?

Bill took a step back, wiping sweat off his forehead.

"Ka-kaah!"

Terrifyingly, Gengar broke into another creepy grin.

If Johan said it was cute, then it was cute! Having a tail wasn't so bad—it could even play "tail tag" with Ice Vulpix and Dratini later.

Gengar's crimson eyes twinkled mischievously. Extending its long, red tongue, it gave Johan's face a big, wet lick.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Johan, who had been smiling seconds earlier, suddenly froze.

The paralysis was real.

"Paralyzed? Do we need a Cheri Berry?!" Bill panicked, rifling through his supplies.

But Johan, his hand trembling from paralysis, calmly retrieved a Cheri Berry from his pocket. Despite his shaky fingers, he deftly popped the berry into his mouth.

Crunch!

Juice trickled down his chin.

"Wow... You're awfully experienced with this," Bill murmured.

Gengar stuck out its tongue in a teasing manner.

"Ka-kaah?"

Am I strong now or what?

Johan, recovering from the paralysis, gave Gengar a big thumbs up.

When it came to paralysis effects, Gengar's lick wasn't just strong—it was overwhelming.

As Gengar proudly displayed its abilities, Johan pulled up its updated Pokédex entry.

[Gengar]

Type: Ghost/Poison

Ability: Cursed Body

Held Items: Toxic Orb, Spell Tag

Moves: Will-O-Wisp, Haze, Toxic, Hex, Substitute, Protect, Shadow Punch, Nasty Plot, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater, Night Shade, Ice Punch, Sucker Punch

Mood: Excited, Confused

(Wait, I have a tail?)

Status: Excellent (Energized by unknown power—feeling amazing!)

Friendship: 100 (It adores you, plain and simple.)

Just as Johan suspected, Gengar's ability had changed to Cursed Body.

[Cursed Body]: When hit by an opponent's move, there's a chance to disable that move temporarily.

But still—why did Gengar lose its "Levitate" ability?

Levitate had been so useful, granting immunity to Ground-type moves. Now, as a Poison-type Pokémon, Gengar had developed a 2x weakness to Ground moves.

It felt like the world was out to get it.

On the bright side, Gengar had learned the Dark-type move Sucker Punch. While it was a physical attack, not perfectly suited to Gengar's build, Johan's Gengar had practiced physical moves before. A punching Gengar wasn't out of the question, and Sucker Punch added some versatility to its moveset.

What intrigued Johan most, however, was a note in Gengar's Status section:

"Energized by unknown power—feeling amazing!"

What unknown power?

He frowned. If it's feeling so great, where's the Explosion move?

Thankfully, Gengar's condition was marked as Excellent.

Gengar, meanwhile, had discovered a troubling realization.

"Ka-kaah?"

Wait... Why can't I float anymore?!

"Don't worry," Johan reassured it. "That's because your ability changed from 'Levitate' to 'Cursed Body.' You can still fly—it'll just take some practice."

Gengar's crimson eyes sparkled at the challenge.

It crouched down, stubby legs bent, and leapt into the air.

Flapping its arms wildly like a cartoon character, it tried to stay airborne.

Johan chuckled.

Just as Gengar began to drop, it gritted its teeth and flailed harder. Wisps of ghostly energy seeped from its body, and before long, it hovered mid-air.

"Impressive learning curve," Bill remarked.

Floating successfully, Gengar crossed its arms over its chest and cackled triumphantly.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Three seconds later, it crashed face-first into the ground.

Undeterred, Gengar scratched its head, its expression puzzled but determined.

Johan mused aloud, "Maybe with some Psychic energy, it'd be easier."

"Ka-kaah?"

Gengar's eyes gleamed. Psychic energy, huh?

Nearby, Ice Vulpix and the others had finally shaken off their surprise at Gengar's evolution. They approached curiously.

Ice Vulpix poked Gengar's body with a paw—and it went straight through.

Tinkatuff inspected Gengar's form with its hammer, as if searching for magnetic properties.

Dratini puffed up its cheeks, trying to mimic Gengar's round shape.

Johan held back a laugh.

"No need to mimic, Dratini. Once you evolve into Dragonite, you'll look just as 'round.'"

Later, Bill used an array of complicated devices to gather data on Gengar's new form.

With Bill busy, Johan took his Pokémon to White Strait.

The setting sun kissed the ocean, casting a rosy glow over the sky, sea, and sand.

Johan rolled up his pants and stepped barefoot onto the beach, letting the cool waves lap at his ankles.

Gengar splashed in the water, flailing its arms and legs enthusiastically, spraying droplets everywhere.

"Ka-kaah!"

Dratini surfaced from the waves, its tail curled around a piece of coral, proudly showing it off.

Unbeknownst to Dratini, a shell was now stuck atop its head.

"Found some shells, huh? What do you guys think—seafood feast tonight?" Johan asked, grinning.

At the mention of food, all four Pokémon perked up.

Suddenly, a wave crashed over Dratini, sweeping it under.

"Blub-blub-blub!"

Dratini resurfaced moments later, a defiant glint in its eye and a shell clenched in its jaws.

The team sprang into action, collecting their haul for the feast.

That night, a bonfire lit the beach.

Bill's Vulpix had started the fire, while Ice Vulpix had crafted a small icy "mountain" to keep the seafood chilled.

The feast included clams, shrimp, fish, and more.

Bill sat cross-legged beside Johan, popping a piece of sashimi into his mouth.

"Honestly, I've been here at White Strait for ages, but this is my first time enjoying seafood like this..."

He handed Johan a report.

"Gengar's in phenomenal shape—it's probably the most well-conditioned Pokémon I've ever seen post-evolution."

Gengar suddenly popped out from the shadows, pulling faces and wagging its tongue.

Bill turned pale, but Johan just laughed, tossing it a piece of sashimi.

Gengar caught it happily and gestured at Johan.

"Ka-kaah?"

Wanna join me in the shadows? It's fun in here.

"Not a chance," Johan replied dryly.

Suddenly, a haunting, drawn-out cry echoed from the misty ocean.

"Awooooooo—"

Dratini's head snapped up, its eyes alert.

Bill leapt to his feet, excitement brimming.

"It's here!"

Through the fog, an enormous silhouette began to emerge.

Johan's eyes narrowed.

An enormous Dragonite?

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Powerstones?

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