Kakuna Can Be Used Like That?! (Please Keep Reading!!!)

"Thanks for the match." Chen Yan pressed his palms together and bowed politely.

"Gengar-"

Thanks for the match.

Gengar copied Chen Yan, pressing his palms together and bowing politely.

The boy in shorts standing before them recalled his Zigzagoon into its Poké Ball, then reluctantly took out his pocket money and handed it to Chen Yan.

"Thank you." Chen Yan accepted the money, counted out half for Gengar, and returned the rest to the boy in shorts.

"We earned a little more pocket money, Gengar," Chen Yan said as he walked beneath a tree.

Gengar pulled a bill out of his winnings and blew on it. Its rustling sounded sweeter to his ears than the most beautiful sound in the world.

"Gengar-"

I'll save it up and treat you all to something tasty!

"Sorry for the trouble, then. Let's take our lunch break here."

Chen Yan found a relatively shady spot by the roadside and looked at Gengar as he spoke.

Gengar nodded, tucked the money away, then took off the backpack, pulled out a blanket, and spread it out.

Once the blanket was laid out, Gengar took out a few small buckets and floated toward the nearby stream. He fetched two buckets of water, floated back, and washed the vegetables Chen Yan had taken out.

After a simple lunch, Chen Yan chose not to press on. He sat on the blanket with his back against the tree, looked at the road baking beneath the scorching sun, and shook his head.

Other Trainers were sitting on the ground nearby too. Like Chen Yan, they had chosen to rest until the sun was less fierce before setting off again.

Weather like this once again highlighted the benefits of having Gengar around. As long as they stayed beside him, the air was always cool.

A Starly chirped in the tree, eyeing the Kakuna standing upright on the blanket and debating whether to swoop down and snatch him away.

But with a Glameow nearby, Starly abandoned the idea and turned to preening his feathers.

Chen Yan used their brief rest to start editing his next video.

Gengar sat at the edge of the blanket, holding the Thin Bamboo Cane and carefully nudging the mushrooms he had set out in the blazing sun.

He had worked hard gathering them in the forest over the past few days. According to Chen Yan, they would make delicious soup once they were dried.

So whenever they rested, Gengar would take the mushrooms out to dry.

"Gengar?"

Want some?

Gengar took out a bag of chips and offered it to Chen Yan, who shook his head.

"I'm full. You eat them. Remember to drink plenty of water, or you'll get all dried out."

"Gengar-"

Gengar nodded, then hugged Kakuna to himself, munching on chips as he told a story he had made up. All the while, he kept an eye on the drying mushrooms so no Starly or Staravia could steal them.

Just yesterday, a Staravia had stolen a few mushrooms when he wasn't paying attention. It had broken his heart.

Chen Yan was editing with his head down when he suddenly felt something tighten around his left hand. He looked up and found Glameow lying beside him, sound asleep.

Her springlike tail was wound tightly around his arm.

The corners of Chen Yan's lips lifted slightly, and he gently patted Glameow's hind leg with his left hand.

Looking at the sleeping Glameow, then at Gengar sitting in front of him, hugging Weedle, telling stories, and watching the mushrooms, Chen Yan simply turned off his tablet.

Sure enough, this wasn't a time for work.

He listened closely to Gengar's homemade story. None of it made any sense, yet he found himself utterly engrossed.

Gengar's story was about the martial world, but what did he know of such a world? His little version of it was pieced together entirely from things Chen Yan had told him and his own imagination.

After listening for a while, Chen Yan opened the View Count shop. He checked his remaining view count and redeemed a Toxic Orb without hesitation.

He had promised a few days ago to get Gengar another Toxic Orb. Now that he had enough view count, he might as well get him one.

Browsing the shop with his remaining view count, Chen Yan spotted an item called "Poké Tail Grass." He checked its effects: it guaranteed escape from battles against wild Pokémon.

Not particularly useful, but it looked a lot like a cat teaser. After glancing at the sleeping Glameow, Chen Yan went ahead and redeemed it.

Looking at how little view count he had left, Chen Yan shook his head.

I still have to make videos... and keep streaming...

Otherwise, I won't be able to afford anything...

"Gengar."

Gengar turned around and looked at Chen Yan curiously.

"Remember how I said a few days ago that I'd buy you another Toxic Orb? Here you go."

Chen Yan reached into the backpack, pretending the Toxic Orb had been inside, then pulled out the boxed orb and handed it to Gengar.

Gengar: ?! Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟﾉ)ﾉ

There was a Toxic Orb in here all along?!

Gengar accepted the Toxic Orb and stared curiously at Chen Yan. Then, when Chen Yan wasn't looking, he snatched the backpack and rummaged inside with his chubby little hand, but found nothing.

He lifted the backpack and held its open mouth up to his big, chubby face. It was completely empty.

He looked at Chen Yan in confusion.

Could he have a Four-Dimensional Pocket too, just like me?

But how could a human have a Four-Dimensional Pocket?

Gengar couldn't make heads or tails of it. It was enough to leave even a ghost scratching his head.

Chen Yan secretly chuckled at the sight.

You thought you were the only one with a Four-Dimensional Pocket?

Bet you didn't expect me to have one too!

"Chew this one a little longer. Don't swallow it right away. Who knows when I'll be able to afford the next one?"

"Gengar-"

Okay.

Gengar turned away with the Toxic Orb in his hand. He held it up to the sun for a while, and the longer he looked, the more he wanted to eat it.

He set the Thin Bamboo Cane aside, placed the Toxic Orb on the ground, and picked up Kakuna.

Chen Yan stared absently at Gengar's back until a noise like fingernails scraping across a chalkboard snapped him out of his thoughts.

He looked at Glameow, whose eyes had opened and whose fur was standing on end, and smiled at her.

Realizing her tail was wrapped around Chen Yan's arm, Glameow quickly turned her head away and pulled it back.

Chen Yan sighed regretfully, then looked toward the source of the noise and asked curiously:

"Gengar, what are you doing?"

Gengar scooted his bottom aside, revealing the Toxic Orb and Kakuna.

Chen Yan saw that Gengar was using the raised, sickle-like protrusion on Kakuna's front to cut the Toxic Orb.

Wait, Kakuna can cut things too?!

Chen Yan's mouth fell open.

Kakuna had a concealed, sickle-like protrusion on his chest that rose to attack enemies when he was in danger.

Chen Yan honestly felt that Gengar had developed Weedle and Kakuna's potential to a thousand percent.

"You can use Kakuna like that?"

Chen Yan looked at Gengar as he asked.

"Gengar-"

Of course!

Chen Yan covered his face. Listening to the scraping sound that made his scalp crawl and raised goose bumps all over him, he sighed and said:

"Why are you cutting it?"

"Gengar-"

To save half for Kakuna.

"Stop cutting. You can eat this whole one yourself."

"Gengar-"

Nope! Good things are meant to be shared. You and Grandmother taught me that.

Without even turning around, Gengar kept his head down and continued cutting the Toxic Orb.

"What I mean is, you can eat this one first. Once Kakuna evolves and can eat again, I'll buy him another one."

Only then did Gengar stop and look at Chen Yan. Chen Yan nodded, and Gengar broke into his signature ghostly grin.

Hehe, don't mind if I do, then.

Gengar picked up the Toxic Orb from the ground, wiped it on Kakuna's body, and tossed it into his mouth.

Kakuna: ???

Using me as a brick and a knife was bad enough, but now you're wiping things on me too?

Do I have any bug rights at all? I'm shaking with rage!

As Gengar chewed the Toxic Orb, something seemed to occur to him. His eyes lit up, and he spat it out. Then he took out a cup, dropped the orb inside, and poured in some coconut water Chen Yan had bought at the supermarket.

Ta-da~

Gengar's special Toxic Orb coconut water was ready!

He immediately offered it to Chen Yan, who shook his head and declined.

If he drank that, he would probably end up transmigrating a second time...

Gengar seemed to regret Chen Yan's inability to appreciate good food. With a sigh, he downed the toxic coconut water in one go.

That's right~ That's the flavor~ Ninety-nine percent pure~ The good stuff~

Gengar's eyes narrowed in sheer bliss.

Chen Yan reached out and tugged at his cheek, saying:

"Sometimes I really wonder what's inside that head of yours. You're always coming up with the strangest things."

"Gengar-"

Farther back along the road, in a place Chen Yan had passed through earlier that day, several people dressed as Pokémon hunters were stealing Pokémon from some Trainers.

In a tree behind them, a green figure watched them silently.

With a flash of movement, the green figure vanished.