Chapter 41
"Thank you for the battle."
Mike pressed his palms together and bowed politely.
"Gar—"
[Thank you for the battle.]
Gengar copied his pose, pressing his hands together and bowing politely.
The Youngster recalled his Zigzagoon, then reluctantly took out his allowance and handed it to Mike.
"Thanks."
Mike accepted the money, counted out half, and gave it to Gengar before returning the rest to the boy.
"We earned a little more spending money, Gengar."
Mike walked over to a nearby tree.
Gengar pulled out one of the bills he had won and blew across it.
The crisp rustling sounded better to him than the most beautiful music in the world.
"Gar—"
[I’ll save it and buy everyone something delicious!]
"Then we’ll be counting on you. Let’s stop here for lunch."
Mike found a shady spot beside the road and looked at Gengar.
Gengar nodded, hid his money away, then removed his backpack and spread a blanket on the ground.
Once the blanket was ready, he took out several small buckets and floated toward a nearby stream.
He returned with two buckets of water and began washing the vegetables Mike had prepared.
...
After a simple lunch, Mike didn’t continue traveling.
He sat on the blanket with his back against the tree and shook his head as he looked at the road baking beneath the scorching sun.
Several other Trainers had also settled down nearby.
Like Mike, they had decided to rest until the sunlight was less intense before setting out again.
Weather like this once again showed how useful Gengar was.
As long as they stayed near him, the surrounding air remained pleasantly cool.
A Starly chirped from a branch overhead, staring at Kakuna standing upright on the blanket and wondering whether it should swoop down and carry him away.
However, after noticing Glameow nearby, Starly abandoned the idea and began preening its feathers instead.
Mike used the short break to start editing his next video.
Gengar sat at the edge of the blanket with his thin bamboo staff in hand, carefully turning over the mushrooms he had placed beneath the sun.
He had worked hard gathering them from the forest over the past few days.
Mike had told him that once the mushrooms were dried, they would taste delicious in soup.
That was why Gengar took them out to dry whenever they stopped to rest.
"Gar?"
[Do you want some?]
Gengar held out a bag of chips.
Mike shook his head.
"I’m full. You can eat them. Just remember to drink plenty of water, or you’ll get a sore throat."
"Gar—"
[kay—]
Gengar nodded, pulled Kakuna into his arms, and began telling him another story he had invented while eating his chips.
At the same time, he kept a close watch on the drying mushrooms so that no Starly or Staravia could steal them.
Yesterday, a Staravia had managed to take several, and Gengar had been heartbroken.
Mike lowered his head and continued editing until he suddenly felt something tighten around his left arm.
He looked down and found Glameow sleeping soundly beside him.
Her spring-shaped tail was wrapped tightly around his arm.
A gentle smile appeared on Mike’s face.
With his left hand, he softly patted Glameow’s hind leg.
He looked at the sleeping Glameow, then at Gengar sitting nearby with Kakuna in his arms, telling stories while guarding the mushrooms.
Mike closed the tablet.
This clearly wasn’t the time to work.
Instead, he listened carefully to Gengar’s story.
It made almost no sense, yet Mike still found himself completely absorbed.
Gengar was telling a story about a fantasy world, even though he had never seen anything resembling one.
His tiny version of fantasy world was pieced together from stories Mike had told him and whatever else he had imagined.
After listening for a while, Mike opened the Viewership Point Shop.
He checked his remaining points and immediately exchanged them for a Toxic Orb.
He had promised Gengar several days ago that he would get him another one. Now that he finally had enough Viewership Points, it was time to keep that promise.
Mike browsed the shop with what little he had left and found an item called Poké Tail Grass.
According to its description, it guaranteed escape during a battle with a wild Pokémon.
The effect seemed rather useless, but the item looked almost exactly like a cat teaser.
Mike glanced at the sleeping Glameow and bought it without hesitation.
Looking at his nearly empty Viewership Point balance, he shook his head.
’Looks like I really need to keep making videos...’
’And keep livestreaming...’
’Otherwise, I won’t be able to afford anything.’
"Gengar."
Gengar turned and looked at Mike curiously.
"Remember how I promised to buy you another Toxic Orb? I’ve got it now."
Mike reached into his backpack, pretending that the Toxic Orb had been stored inside it, then took out the boxed orb and handed it to Gengar.
Gengar’s eyes widened.
Σ(゚∀゚ノ)ノ
’There was already a Toxic Orb inside the backpack?!’
Gengar accepted it and stared curiously at Mike.
Then, when Mike wasn’t paying attention, he snatched the backpack and reached one chubby hand inside.
He felt around but found nothing.
Gengar raised the backpack and held the open end in front of his round face.
It was completely empty!
He looked at Mike in confusion.
’Does he have a four-dimensional pocket too?’
’But how can a human have a four-dimensional pocket?’
No matter how hard Gengar thought, he couldn’t figure it out.
It truly left the ghost scratching his head!
Mike secretly laughed.
’You thought you were the only one with a four-dimensional pocket?’
’Didn’t expect me to have one too, did you?’
"Chew this one slowly. Don’t swallow it all at once. I don’t know when I’ll be able to afford another."
"Gar—"
[Okay.]
Gengar turned away with the Toxic Orb in his hands.
He lifted it toward the sunlight and studied it for a moment.
The longer he stared, the more he wanted to eat it.
He placed the bamboo staff aside, put the Toxic Orb on the ground, and raised Kakuna.
Mike stared absentmindedly at Gengar’s back until a sound like fingernails scraping across a blackboard pulled him from his thoughts.
Glameow’s fur stood on end as she opened her eyes.
Mike smiled at her.
Glameow realized that her tail was still wrapped around his arm and quickly turned her head away before pulling it back.
Mike sighed regretfully, then looked toward the source of the noise.
"Gengar, what are you doing?"
Gengar shuffled his backside aside, revealing the Toxic Orb and Kakuna.
Mike stared with his mouth open.
Gengar was using the raised, sickle-like ridge on the front of Kakuna’s body to cut through the Toxic Orb!
’Kakuna can be used to cut things too?!’
Kakuna had a hidden, blade-like part on the front of his body that could rise to attack enemies when he was in danger.
Mike was beginning to believe that Gengar had developed one thousand percent of Weedle and Kakuna’s possible uses.
"You can use Kakuna like that?"
Mike looked at Gengar.
"Gar—"
[Of course!]
Mike covered his face.
Listening to the horrible scraping sound that made his scalp tingle and his skin crawl, he sighed.
"Why are you cutting it?"
"Gar—"
[I’m saving half for Kakuna.]
"Stop cutting it. You can eat this whole one."
"Gar—"
[I can’t. You and Grandma taught me to share good things.]
Gengar didn’t even turn around. He simply lowered his head and continued cutting the Toxic Orb.
"What I mean is, you can eat this one first. After Kakuna evolves and can eat again, I’ll buy another one for him."
Only then did Gengar stop.
He turned toward Mike.
Seeing Mike nodded, Gengar revealed his usual ghostly grin.
’Hehe. Then don’t mind if I do.’
Gengar picked up the Toxic Orb, wiped it against Kakuna’s body, and tossed it into his mouth.
Kakuna: "???"
’Using me as a brick and a knife was bad enough.’
’Now you’re wiping things on me too?’
’Do Bug types have no rights?’
’This is outrageous!’
Gengar chewed the Toxic Orb.
Then his eyes suddenly lit up as an idea came to him.
He spat it back out, took out a cup, dropped the orb inside, and poured in some coconut water Mike had bought at the supermarket.
Clang, clang~
Gengar’s special Toxic Orb Coconut Water was complete!
He immediately offered it to Mike.
Mike shook his head and refused.
One sip of that might send him through another transmigration!
Gengar sighed, disappointed that Mike couldn’t appreciate fine cuisine, then drank the entire cup of Toxic Orb coconut water in one go.
Yes~
That was the taste~
A rare treasure of the highest quality!
Gengar closed his eyes in pure satisfaction.
Mike reached over and tugged on his cheeks.
"Sometimes I really wonder what’s going on inside your head. You’re always inventing the strangest things."
"Gar—"
[Hehe.]
...
Farther back along the road Mike had traveled that day, several people dressed as Pokémon Hunters were stealing Pokémon from passing Trainers.
From a tree behind them, a green figure silently watched.
A moment later, the figure vanished.
---------
Read more Chapters ahead here... patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator