Chapter 53
"You don’t want me using this strategy?"
Mike spoke without the slightest hint of shame.
"Too bad. It’s fun, I love it, and I’m going to play it every day!"
Unfortunately, the rest of the evening became one long losing streak as Mike dragged his increasingly miserable viewers from one defeat to another.
"What the hell?! Why does your Gyarados know Flamethrower?!"
"No way. Dragonite with Ice Punch?"
"You used Thunder, actually hit me, and got the paralysis too?!"
[RankedBattleVictim: I’m begging you. Please stop. Just stop...]
[BugTypesAreTheCoolest: I can’t take any more of this...]
[PiplupSupremacy: Forget being sleepy. Watching you play has made me too angry to sleep...]
[Daisy_Peralta_1218: Every match is making the Kricketune win look more suspicious.]
While Mike tormented his viewers inside the tent, Gengar sat on a rock beside the river with Kakuna in his arms, quietly telling him another story.
Then, without warning, he fell silent and stared across the water.
A brilliant blue-white light had appeared among the branches of a tree on the opposite bank.
Gengar: "???"
At the same time, Mike, who was still locked in a battle of wits with his opponent, sensed something and turned toward the entrance of the tent.
Gengar was standing there, looking straight at him.
Mike immediately understood and nodded.
"Everyone, we’re done playing. It’s starting! It’s finally starting!"
He shot to his feet, disconnected from the match without hesitation, and switched the livestream feed over to the drone.
The drone flew out of the tent and rose into the night sky.
The viewers stared blankly as the game screen suddenly vanished.
[Route201Camper: ???]
[SinnohNetizen: Is it finally happening?]
[GlameowFanatic: What is it? Why am I getting excited already?]
[ZenZen00: He rage-quit ranked and triggered a secret cutscene!]
The drone’s camera came online.
Beneath the night sky, almost everything on the screen was pitch-black.
The viewers could only make out Mike, Gengar, and the other Pokémon standing near the brightly lit campsite.
"Where is it?"
Mike hurried over to Gengar’s side.
Gengar pointed toward the tree across the river.
"Gar—"
[Over there.]
Mike stared into the darkness, but he couldn’t see anything.
He checked the time.
11:56 p.m.
Without saying another word, Mike waited beside the river.
Gengar floated quietly next to him with Kakuna tucked in one arm and his thin bamboo staff held in the other.
Glameow sat silently on a rock, while Snivy climbed onto a tree branch and searched the surrounding forest for any Pokémon that had begun to evolve.
...
Time passed slowly and the viewers eventually began chatting among themselves.
[BerryJuiceAddict: What exactly are we waiting for?]
[Route201Camper: No idea.]
[MurkrowAfterDark: What could possibly happen this late at night? Don’t tell me there’s a ghost.]
[GhostTypeMain: There’s already one standing next to him.]
[GreatBallGrinder: Damn it, don’t scare me! Where?!]
[GhostTypeMain: Gengar. I’m talking about Gengar.]
[GreatBallGrinder: ...You little fuc—]
[Dao_Of_The_Turtle: The forest reveals its wonders only to those patient enough to face the darkness.]
[SilentWatcher: Wait... what’s that?!]
That single comment immediately caught everyone’s attention.
The viewers stared more closely at the screen.
Beyond the brightly lit campsite, several faint blue-white lights had appeared in the previously dark forest.
"Shh."
Mike looked toward the drone and placed a finger against his lips.
The viewers instinctively held their breath.
None of them knew why they were holding their breath while watching through a screen, but they did it anyway.
The clock slowly changed from 11:59 p.m. to midnight.
At first, only a handful of blue-white lights could be seen between the trees.
Then more began appearing throughout the forest, each one answering the others until dozens of them shimmered beneath the dark canopy.
Before long, the entire forest was glowing.
Mike’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.
Breathing heavily, he ran into the darkness with Gengar and the others close behind him.
He reached a patch of bushes and found several Silcoon and Cascoon shining with the light of evolution.
Their hardened cocoons split apart as beautiful wings slowly emerged, transforming them into Beautifly and Dustox.
Mike hurried toward the river, where Magikarp were leaping from the water and evolving into enormous Gyarados.
Goldeen grew larger as elegant horns spread across their foreheads, becoming Seaking.
Along the riverbank, Bidoof rose onto their hind legs as their bodies grew and their tails became broader, evolving into Bibarel.
Marill became taller and rounder as their ears lengthened, transforming into Azumarill.
Nearby, Buneary’s legs and ears stretched as they evolved into Lopunny.
There was even a rare Kirlia among them.
Its body glowed as an elegant white gown formed around it and its hair settled into a beautiful new shape, revealing a newly evolved Gardevoir.
High in the trees, Staravia spread their wings as they grew larger and long crests formed across their foreheads, transforming into Staraptor.
Aipom’s tail split apart and developed a second handlike tip as it evolved into Ambipom.
The leaves covering a Burmy hanging from a branch fell away, replaced by a pair of enormous wings as it became Mothim.
[LandUpGaming: Oh my god... They’re all evolving.]
[Goddog: How many Pokémon are there?!]
[AshlesSmiley: Everyone stop typing! The comments are covering the screen!]
[TheblackPhoenix: This is actually insane...]
Mike finally stopped beside the river and slowly turned around, his eyes growing damp.
No matter where he looked, the light of evolution was shining.
The river, the trees, and even the night sky above the forest were bathed in a soft blue-white glow.
’This sight...’
Mike felt as though there were countless things he wanted to say, yet he couldn’t force a single word from his mouth.
Pokémon from every corner of the forest had gathered together, regardless of species, temperament, or natural habits, to evolve beneath the same night sky.
It was a miracle.
A miracle that could exist only in this world.
One that appeared just once every ten years.
"Gengar, Kakuna, Glameow, Snivy..."
Mike softly called each of their names.
All four Pokémon turned toward him.
Mike stood before them and spread his arms, his voice trembling slightly.
"We really got to see it..."
Gengar stared at him for a moment before breaking into a wide grin and throwing himself into Mike’s arms.
"Gar—!"
"Ahahaha! Hey, stop licking me! You didn’t use Lick, did you?"
Mike pushed Gengar away, climbed back to his feet, and wiped the saliva from his face.
When he looked at the four Pokémon standing in front of him, a wide smile spread across his face.
"Thank you for waiting here with me for so long."
He then turned toward Snivy.
"And thank you too, Snivy. You worked really hard."
Snivy gave him a gentle nod.
"Sni~"
[It was nothing~]
Mike gazed up at the night sky, still glowing beneath the blue-white light, and found it almost impossible to calm the excitement in his heart.
Then he turned toward Gengar.
"Gengar, did you bring Grandma’s melodica with you?"
Gengar blinked before reaching into his storage space and pulling out a melodica.
"I knew you brought it."
Mike accepted the instrument, then casually reached over and tugged at the corner of Gengar’s mouth.
The viewers were still lost in shock when the gentle sound of the melodica began drifting through the livestream.
Gengar used the remote control to turn the drone toward Mike.
The viewers saw him standing beneath the glowing night sky with the melodica held between his hands.
As he played, Mike looked toward Glameow with gentle eyes.
Glameow lay quietly on a rock, her large ears twitching slightly.
She had heard this melody once before while she was sleeping.
Mike had sung the song to her.
How did it go again...?
’The dark sky hangs low as the bright stars follow close behind. Little insects fly, little insects fly—who are you missing tonight?’
Glameow’s crystal-blue eyes remained fixed on Mike, her thoughts impossible to read.
When the song ended, Mike looked toward Snivy and began playing the first song he had ever sung for her.
’The evening breeze crosses the bay while white waves roll gently across the shore...’
Then came Kakuna’s turn.
For him, Mike played a proud knight’s marching song.
Finally, he looked toward Gengar.
Gengar stood with Kakuna in his arms and his thin bamboo staff resting in one hand, grinning back at him.
Mike took a deep breath.
A soft, beautiful melody flowed from the melodica.
It was the first tune he had ever played for Gengar—Night of the Fireflies.
The gentle music attracted several Kricketune, who began accompanying him with their own natural melodies.
Snivy stepped forward and began dancing gracefully to the rhythm.
Mike watched her for a moment, smiled, and continued playing as he joined her dance.
[Performance Lv. 3 has developed Dance Lv. 1.]
Beneath the moonlight, Mike had somehow developed a dancing skill through his music.
As Mike and Snivy danced, Beautifly, Dustox, Butterfree, and Mothim gathered around them.
They fluttered beneath the glowing sky, circling the pair in an elegant dance.
Bibarel, Lopunny, Azumarill, and many of the other newly evolved Pokémon soon joined them.
Beside the river, deep within the forest, the Pokémon gathered around Mike and danced beneath the bright moon.
The livestream comments erupted.
[Route201Camper: I... You... Wow!]
[PiplupSupremacy: Mike, I love you! I’m following you for life!]
[SnivyRoyalGuard: AAAAAAH! SNIVY! SNIVY!]
[GlameowFanatic: Glameow’s tiny little steps... I can’t handle this...]
[ThunderMuffin: THIS IS THE BEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN.]
[SimplyNovel: This looks like the ending scene of a movie.]
Of course, among so many elegant dancers, there were bound to be a few who didn’t quite fit in.
Gengar, for example, had decided that the perfect dance for this beautiful moment was an enthusiastic belly dance!
[Genie_Unshackled: Why is Gengar belly dancing during the emotional climax? 😭]
[Dao_Of_The_Turtle: Even the clumsiest dancer has a place beneath the moon.]
When the melody finally ended, the dancing gradually came to a stop.
Mike lowered the melodica and looked toward the camera with a bright smile.
"The Night of Evolution, everyone."
He glanced around at the glowing forest.
"Stunning, isn’t it?"
One song ended, and another soon began.
Mike lifted the melodica to his lips and continued playing.
The Night of Evolution was far from over.
---------
Read more Chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator