, well, how should I put it, he raised a vengeful ghost?

Xiao Gang was furious.

"Xiao Gang: This is ridiculous! Let's end this boring battle! Onix! Coil and gather power! Rocket Headbutt—"

The giant onix instantly coiled and tightened its massive body, creating a powerful whirlwind in the center of the arena.

At the center of the whirlwind, its rocky head, like a cannonball, slammed into Pikachu with tremendous force.

Just as Pikachu was about to be hit, Red's pupils contracted, and he controlled Red to leap into the arena.

With a daring slide, Pikachu was scooped up just before the giant rock skull crashed into it.

Looking at the Pikachu in Red's arms on the screen, Akane felt a pang of guilt.

"I'm sorry... I forced you to participate in an unnecessary battle..."

He took a deep breath, ready to admit defeat.

"Xiao Gang, I concede this battle..."

Nourishes—

A golden pillar of lightning, more violent and dazzling than ever before, crashed down.

The crimson voice was instantly drowned out.

Pikachu's eyes were cold and sharp. It lightly leaped from Red's arms onto his shoulder and then took a leap towards Onix, which had just finished its collision and hadn't yet retracted its head.

He actually used himself as a lightning rod, guiding the thick bolt of lightning straight down!

thunder!

The blinding lightning completely ignored elemental advantages!

The giant onyx's massive body was struck as if by divine punishment; it collapsed to the ground before it could even let out a scream.

Its body was charred black, and electric sparks crackled between the cracks in the rocks; it had completely lost its ability to fight.

The entire rocky battlefield was cleaved in two by this terrifying blow.

Gravel flew everywhere.

The audience was completely silent, and Xiao Gang was dumbfounded.

The referee, as if waking from a dream, rushed onto the field.

"Referee: The battle is over! Akira wins!"

"Little Red defeated Gym Leader Little Brock!"

While everyone was still reeling from the shock of the lightning strike, in reality, Pikachu, who had been watching from the crimson shoulder, nodded in satisfaction and strode off to play outside the room.

Red then belatedly realized what was happening and controlled Little Red to walk towards the disdainful Pikachu in the game.

Pikachu smiled slightly and stretched out its little hand to him, but the moment the little hand touched Red, an electric current surged, completely shocking him inside and out.

Seeing this, Xiao Gang shook his head helplessly and strode over.

"Brock: Congratulations. As proof of passing the Pewter Gym Challenge, here is your... Pewter Badge of the Pokémon League."

"Little Red got the gray badge from Little Gang!"

Pikachu didn't even glance at Brock and the badge, flicked its tail, and walked straight out of the gym.

Red looked at Red's afro on the screen and gave an awkward smile. He had no choice but to go along with the old man and leave the gym with him.

"We got our first badge! Next, we're off to Cerulean City..."

Chi Hong was making plans with great enthusiasm.

Don't forget the Rockets.

Qinglu suddenly interrupted, her tone resolute.

"Let's go to Tsukimiyama first and see what they're up to. It's on the way anyway."

"Yes! Any evil! I will never tolerate it!"

Crimson immediately responded and controlled Little Crimson to set off.

However, the moment Little Red left Deep Grey City and stepped onto Route 3.

A dialog box suddenly popped up on the game screen.

"Handsome Researcher: That's it! What are you trying to do by playing so fast? Remember to buy me the official version when it's released! And don't rush me! (An angry pixelated emoticon)"

Chi Hong scratched his head sheepishly and looked around at his companions.

"Uh... when Bai Zhou released the update patch, he said that the progress only goes up to the first gym..."

"As expected, but..."

Green remained calm, as if he had expected this, and glanced at Crimson.

"If you're shameless enough to ask him, I believe he'll still update the patch for you."

Xiao Huang didn't say anything, but her face betrayed her disappointment.

She thoroughly enjoyed the warm feeling of everyone getting together to play games.

"cut!"

Xiao Lan complained with a disgruntled expression.

"He always cuts off right when things are going well; Bai Zhou definitely has psychological issues!"

Qinglu pushed up her non-existent glasses, revealing the inside story.

"Alright, Bai Zhou will be doing a pre-sale live stream in a couple of days, and the product will be officially released after that. There's no rush."

"wrong!"

Crimson immediately grasped the key point.

How did you know?

Faced with the crimson question, the green rolled its eyes indifferently.

"idiot."

……

The dormitory of the Di'an City Research Institute.

Bai Zhou rubbed his sleepy eyes, sporting heavy dark circles under his eyes, and slowly strolled out of the bathroom.

It's the weekend, so he decided to work from home—which basically means he won't go downstairs.

Last night, he was intrigued by a positive feedback message pop-up from the system, so he sneaked into the player group to spy on them, only to be caught red-handed.

For the game update patch, that kid Crimson kept bombarding me with messages, harassing me until late at night.

His tasks for today are still piling up like a mountain.

The morning was filled with finalizing the live-streaming plan and processing documents, and the afternoon was spent accompanying Zhu Lan to investigate local shady activities. The schedule was packed.

"It's annoying."

He muttered something to himself, prepared breakfast for Gastly who was floating by and staring at him expectantly, then buried himself in his computer and began another day of hard work.

despair.

Bai Zhou typed the last word of the live stream plan for a few days, checked it repeatedly to make sure it was correct, and then clicked to send it to Professor Oak.

He had just stretched, his bones cracking, and was about to get up and stretch when Gastly, carrying the military treatise on its head, floated over with a puzzled look on its face.

Alright, time to relax and soak in the hot spring.

Gastly asks a question.

"Gah? (Does switching places mean I can switch positions with my opponent?)"

"You can do it, brother! You can!"

Bai Zhou answered instantly.

"The core of the switching mechanism is that the target to be switched cannot have a clear sense of resistance or be in a state of high alert. Therefore, this tactic is usually used in chaotic doubles matches, but if the opponent relaxes their vigilance, it can also be effective in singles matches by surprise."

Gastly asked again.

"Gah? (How can I improve the accuracy of hypnosis?)"

"Hypnosis..."

Bai Zhou rubbed his chin.

"Hypnosis is released slowly. Normally, hypnosis is released to force the target to react without considering whether it hits. If it is really for the purpose of hitting, the release action needs to be hidden, such as hiding in smoke or launching a sneak attack."

Gastly pressed:

"Gah? (What about those who share the same fate?)"

"The principle behind the 'Shared Fate' is that after being attacked and exhausting its stamina, it will drag the target into a coma."

Bai Zhou frowned and glanced at it in surprise.

"It's essentially a one-for-one exchange tactic, which severely tests a trainer's information processing and battlefield awareness, but I won't let you learn this move."

Gastly was taken aback.

"Gah? (Why?)"

"Don't ask, the answer is no."

Bai Zhou reached out and ruffled Gastly's smoky head, his gaze fixed on the blazing sunlight outside the window.

"Let's go. I've arranged to have lunch out with Zhu Lan. I also have an investigation mission this afternoon. Maybe I can give you some practice."

It is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books.

Gastly has been studying military strategy books for so long, it's time to take it out for a spin.

Investigate local underground forces... no, it's about cracking down on organized crime.

Upon hearing this, Gastly instantly became excited and began to tumble, twist, and stretch in the air, like a black cotton candy being blown about by the wind.

Bai Zhou smiled helplessly.

How should I put it? Did I raise a vengeful ghost?