Pokemon: Helping Pokemon Pays Off

Wrapping the small Gengar in his clothes, Hoshino mounted his Cyclizar and set off on his way home. Before long, the rain finally began to subside.

Riding a Pokémon in the rain was truly inconvenient. Even with his natural talent for riding, he couldn't avoid getting his clothes splashed, and he still had to hold an umbrella. That was exactly how he got ambushed and wiped out this morning.

The journey back was uneventful—luck was on his side. For once, the Meowths and their gang didn't chase him when he returned to Kabukicho.

When they were short on manpower, they usually wouldn't go after him right away. In a sense, after a month and a half, he had more or less blended in…

The rain didn't really affect business in Kabukicho. Most of the Pokémon here were wild and long accustomed to getting drenched.

On the way back, Hoshino also realized that the little Gengar had quite a problem. Aside from making a few noises, it didn't seem capable of doing anything else—it was like a sound effect toy.

"You… don't even know how to move, do you?"

"Gengar…"

"Figures… That's kind of a problem. But don't worry, I know an all-knowing and all-powerful Slowking. He'll definitely help you out."

Hoshino hadn't expected this little guy to be in such a state. No wonder it had stayed inside the claw machine the whole time—it couldn't move. It probably felt safer in there…

The izakaya was bustling with business tonight. Rainy weather always brought out more Pokémon looking for a drink. Some regulars, like Machoke and Gurdurr, were also here. Hoshino smiled and greeted them.

"Alola~"

"Hungry~ Macho Machoke~"

Over time, he had gotten involved with the izakaya and helped some Pokémon with their troubles.

Of course, he had gained a few friendship-based talents from this, but they were mostly practical life skills—like increasing his speed at handling construction debris… enough to guarantee him a job at a construction site if he ever needed one.

Still, the results were lacking. Juggling school and part-time work meant he had little time to truly build relationships with Pokémon. But now that he had saved up enough money, it was time to start.

As soon as he appeared, the Slowking who had been chatting with customers glanced at him and said dryly, "You getting beaten up every day? Hurry up and pay your rent before you get yourself killed out there."

"I won't pay until the last day! Without a sense of urgency, there's no motivation to make money. Besides, I have this weird feeling… I might be on the verge of evolving into a Super Alolan!"

"With the way you bounce back from beatings, you basically already are. So, here to mooch food again? This is a bar, you know. If you want food, go to Nai-chan's place."

"That takes a few minutes to walk. The bar is more convenient."

Saying this, Hoshino sat down at the counter, placed Gengar on top, and continued, "Here, take a look at this."

"What's so special about a plush toy… Hm?"

Before Slowking could finish, he immediately sensed something strange. Picking up the Gengar, his usually dopey expression shifted to one of surprise.

"This is the real deal. A human soul turned into a Pokémon? That's pretty rare, though not unheard of."

"Hah?"

"Ghost-types and Psychic-types have the highest chance of this happening, but there are exceptions. There was even a case of a construction worker who passed out from exhaustion after a night shift, then woke up as a Conkeldurr."

"That's terrifying! Even after turning into a Pokémon, he still had to keep doing construction work? The fate of the construction bros is too cruel…"

Hoshino instinctively cracked a joke, but quickly realized this wasn't the main point. He immediately asked, "You're saying Gengar was once a human soul?"

"Yep."

Slowking squeezed the plush-like body a bit before continuing, "I can't tell how old the soul was when it was alive, but it's been dead for a long time. Its memories are long gone, so it probably just attached to this plush, fused with it, and developed a new consciousness. Look, there's even a manufacturer's tag with a production date."

"That's its birthday!"

Hoshino quickly grabbed Gengar back and instinctively checked the tag on its tail. The date was exactly one week before Halloween, meaning this Gengar wasn't even a month old yet?

It was just a baby!

"Gengar?"

Gengar didn't understand what they were talking about, its face full of confusion and curiosity. Hoshino noticed its expression change—it wasn't just stuck in a permanent grinning face anymore.

"Is it adapting to its body?"

"Probably. Its soul has fused with the plush, but it still hasn't fully adjusted to the new body."

As expected of Slowking, the self-proclaimed omniscient and omnipotent Pokémon—it really knew its stuff. Hoshino hugged Gengar. The soft pink body and little frilly skirt looked even cuter the more he stared. He'd have to give it a good wash later.

"No rush, just take your time to adjust. By the way, do plush toys eat?"

Just as he voiced his doubt, a system notification suddenly popped up with an unexpected reward.

[You have gained Gengar (Plush)'s Friendship: Pink, Super Strong! (Physical attacks using held items or direct contact deal massive damage, but ranged attacks are weakened. Exclusive to Plush Gengar.)]

"???"

Hoshino was stunned. This was totally unexpected. And this talent…

"A Pokémon-exclusive trait?"

He had thought only status and social standing could grant special friendship talents, but apparently, special Pokémon could also provide unique ones!

And what kind of effect was this? A melee-focused Gengar? Did this mean it was supposed to punch enemies instead of using special attacks? And what did 'held items' mean?

Hoshino was at a loss. This was beyond his expertise. He called himself a Pokémon scholar, but why did he always encounter things he didn't understand?

Fortunately, the friendship bond allowed him to check detailed information now.

[Pokémon: Gengar (Plush)][Type: Ghost/Poison]

[Gender: Female]

[Height/Weight: 0.31m / 1.6kg][Abilities: Levitate (Can float and fly) / Fluffy (Halves damage from physical attacks, but doubles damage from Fire-type moves)][Move: Shadow Punch][Status: Plush (A lost soul entered a plush body, and something incredible happened—she actually turned into a real Pokémon. Amazing, right?), Not Yet Adapted (Since her body was originally a plush, she has difficulty moving and controlling herself.)]

"Two abilities?! What are you, Calyrex? One for her ghostly nature and one for her plush form?"

Hoshino was speechless. This little one… might actually become a one-punch specter!

But friendship talents had to be equipped after catching a Pokémon. Meaning, if he wanted Gengar to actually use this talent, he had to become her Trainer!

"Gengar?"

Gengar didn't understand why Hoshino was suddenly looking at her differently, but she had a feeling something was about to happen…

Hoshino gently placed her on the counter and asked seriously, "Gengar, do you want to be my Pokémon? Like Cyclizar?"

"Gengar?"

Gengar glanced at Cyclizar, who was once again smacking Slowpoke's tail, then happily responded, "Gengar~"

"Alright!"

With Gengar's consent, Hoshino pulled out a Poké Ball he had bought long ago and gently placed it inside. Watching the ball shake in his hand, he smiled softly.

"Don't worry, even if you don't understand anything, we'll take good care of you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Poké Ball clicked shut with a successful capture sound.

Just as he was about to celebrate, he suddenly noticed Ceruledge standing nearby, staring at him coldly, seemingly disapproving.

"I didn't bully the Pokémon!"

Hoshino panicked. After almost two months in this world, the only thing he truly feared was Ceruledge. Just pure fear.

"..."

Ceruledge said nothing, but Slowking, seemingly understanding his thoughts, commented, "He can help Gengar quickly adapt. Ghost-types have strong adaptability with each other."

"Really?"

Hoshino was surprised, then released Gengar again. The little one clearly didn't like staying inside a Poké Ball.

"Gengar?"

Gengar looked at the approaching Ceruledge and froze, her face suddenly filled with fear.

But as a wave of energy washed over, her arms began to move. Then her whole body. Even her eyes blinked…

"Gengar!"

Excitedly waving her unfamiliar limbs, Gengar felt a surge of strength. she had finally gained mobility! she felt like she could punch ten Magikarps in one go!

Seeing this, Hoshino, who had just equipped his talent, gratefully shouted at Ceruledge, "Thanks!"

"..."

Ceruledge ignored him and turned away without a word. Hoshino was already used to his cold demeanor and instead focused on Gengar. "Now that you can move, let's test your mobility!"

"Gengar!"

Gengar was eager to move around and get used to her new body as quickly as possible. Hoshino, on the other hand, wanted to see how effective her punches were—was it really that strong? So, he started looking for a target.

Cyclizar was out of the question—Shadow Punch wouldn't hit him. As for the other Pokémon around… none of them seemed like good options either. That meant there was only one choice left.

"A baby Pokémon, and a plush at that… her attacks are probably still soft and weak. Let's see if she can at least push me back with a full-force punch."

With that thought in mind, Hoshino gave Gengar the go-ahead. Gengar followed his command, jumped up, and swung her fist with all her might—

The next moment, a figure went flying.

BOOM—

Hoshino crashed straight through the doorway and landed in the street, twitching in the rain.

Slowking shouted from inside the izakaya, "Hey! I'm still running a business here! Don't go passing out at my entrance! I'm adding the repair costs to your tab!"