Trainer's Gambit

"Natsume-sensei, you've finally met your match!"

"Ah, this..."

"So cute, I wanna... you know."

"??? Can the person above please act human?"

All the usual lurkers were suddenly active, and the group chat was filled with a lively atmosphere.

[The Battler: ...Why not try throwing a Poké Ball?]

[Natsume-sensei: Are you sure it won't get mad if I throw one?]

[The Battler: ...]

Red went back to lurking. Natsume put down his phone, a surge of boldness rising within him, and glared back at the Gastly.

"What are you looking at?!"

"Gastly?"

Just then, his phone buzzed again. A somewhat familiar ID popped up with a suggestion.

[Yellow: Look at its eyes, it seems to really like you!]

Natsume thought for a while but couldn't remember who this ID belonged to.

[Natsume-sensei: You call this liking me? It's clearly after my body!]

[Natsume-sensei: (Video)]

In the video, a Gastly made of black mist, with big round eyes, was happily licking the sharp-featured, handsome young man.

Natsume-sensei wiped the wet slobber off his face and shouted at the Gastly, "Stop licking me, smile for the camera!"

The Gastly paused, then cheerfully flew in front of the camera, its bulging white eyes completely blocking the view.

Kanto, Viridian City.

Red, who was training at the Viridian Gym, couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, let's start training!"

A handsome young man with straight brown hair and a pendant around his neck sat atop a massive Rhyperior, arms crossed.

"What are you looking at, still grinning like an idiot?"

"Just found a new battle streamer," Red said, holding his phone. "Seems like he's planning to breed a Gengar."

Blue Oak jumped down from Rhyperior's shoulder, glanced at the phone, and nodded slightly. "That Gastly has decent potential."

Red looked up, surprised.

Professor Samuel Oak once said that Blue Oak's talent was "breeding," allowing him to maximize a Pokémon's potential and abilities.

If even he said so, then this Gastly was definitely worth raising.

"That's a game streamer, right?" Blue Oak shrugged. "Why not just go watch the Master Tournament live?"

"Even though it's a game, his strategic thinking is way ahead of most master trainers," Red replied with a smile. "Besides, Lysandre Labs' virtual imaging tech has already been integrated into the game. Who knows? Maybe we'll be able to duel online soon!"

"Hmph." Blue Oak's eyes sharpened, a slight smirk on his lips. "Even if it's a game, I won't lose to you!"

Haven't you lost enough already?

Red wiped the sweat off his brow. "Let's not talk about that. Let's train!"

"Buzz—"

Just then, his phone vibrated.

Red glanced at the chat interface and smiled. "He actually caught the Gastly."

Blue Oak crossed his arms and suddenly said, "That group... add me in."

"What?"

"Got nothing better to do. Might as well kill some time."

"...Since when do you watch live streams?"

"Shut up, just add me!"

"Alright, no need to be so aggressive."

"Tch... wanna battle?"

"Direct attacks on the trainer are allowed, right? Go, Pikachu!"

"Rhyperior, Earthquake!"

[...]

[You have a new message]

[Your friend—"Blue Oak" has joined the chat group!]

Running into a ghost late at night usually gives you three options.

A. Pretend you didn't see it and walk out of the elevator like nothing happened.

B. Chat and laugh with it, claiming that today's trainers are too naive.

C. If you're brave enough, well... you know.

So Natsume chose option D—

"Bold demon, how dare you cause trouble here! Daii Tenryuu, Nyorai Jizou... take this Poké Ball!"

Creatures like Gastly, often seen in horror movies, are still Pokémon at their core, so they're actually quite scientific.

Thus, it followed the basic laws of Pokémon, turning into a red light and flying into the Poké Ball, which shook three times before settling.

Natsume felt a sudden emptiness, picked up the Poké Ball, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Raising a Gastly, huh? Not too bad, I guess." Natsume's expression was odd. "At least Gengar is kinda cute... right?"

Honestly, 2D Gengar is adorable, but in real life—

He opened the Poké Ball, and a pair of large white eyes slowly opened within the black mist, a wide mouth stretching to the roots of its tongue, revealing sharp teeth.

The Gastly floated cheerfully behind Natsume, looming over his head, letting out a sinister, bell-like laugh.

"Gastly!"

Natsume looked up, just in time to see the gaping mouth and sharp teeth. The Gastly's eyes narrowed into slits as it extended a long, crimson tongue.

Gastly: (*⊙~⊙)

"Gastly—"

Natsume wiped the slobber off his face.

"...It's kinda cute."

[Congratulations, Host! Achievement unlocked: "I Choose You!"]

[Achievement Description: Catch any starter Pokémon. Reward: 500 BP]

[Remaining BP: 720]

If you didn't look too closely, the gas-like Gastly was just a cloud of black mist, and its large white eyes were within Natsume's tolerance range.

Although his plan to pet an Eevee was ruined, Natsume could now go out at night to scare girls (crossed out).

But Natsume had found a new path: becoming a horror game streamer.

"Gastly!"

The Gastly continued to hover cheerfully in the air as the elevator lights flickered back on.

As the elevator slowly ascended, Natsume returned the Gastly to its Poké Ball and fell into deep thought.

"If it evolves into a Gengar, its battle potential will be pretty strong."

"Wait, why do I need battle potential?"

"Worst case, I'll just have Gastly be the mascot for my live streams..."

[You have a new message]

[Admin 'The Battler' has invited 'Blue Oak' to the group]

"Huh? Blue Oak?"

Confused by the notification, Natsume stared at Blue Oak's profile in disbelief.

"This big shot... could it be the Kanto champion known as the 'Breeding Prodigy'?"

"No way, it's really him!"

In the special chapters, after becoming the Viridian Gym Leader, Blue Oak had assembled a team with an average level of 70 in less than a year.

Natsume figured that even grinding NPCs and wild Pokémon couldn't compare to that!

This grind lord was truly terrifying!

After Natsume posted the video, the group's conversation quickly shifted to breeding methods for Gastly.

"Natsume-sensei, are you planning to breed a Gengar specialized in Poison-type moves?"

"No, I think Gengar should focus more on Ghost-type abilities!"

"Why are you saying 'no'? I didn't even—"

"..."

[Group member 'Blue Oak' has uploaded a new file]

[Gastly Breeding Methods.txt]

"Holy crap, this is the real deal!"

"Even Blue Oak is a follower of Natsume-sensei?! My mind is blown!"

"This is what you call professionalism.jpg!"

After posting the file, Blue Oak went back to lurking, leaving no trace of his presence.

Natsume looked at the txt file in the group with mixed feelings.

There was no doubt that a breeding guide written by the "Breeding Prodigy" Blue Oak would be both professional and accurate.

After a fierce internal struggle, Natsume sighed deeply.

"I never wanted to be a trainer!"

Then, he clicked open [Gastly Breeding Methods.txt].