"Reverend Mingguang, it has been a while."

  "Gym Leader Morty, is this Hauhe Pokémon you are helping to evolve today?"

  "Yes." Morty now stood up, showing clear respect for the monk who had just arrived.

  "A very fine Haunter." Mingguang praised it briefly before turning to Sato. "It has been a while."

  Sato had no desire to speak. The monk he had previously igurned out to have signifit influence—being called Reverend was no ordinary title.

  However, Mingguang seemed to have no iion of making things difficult for Sato, nor did he mention their previous enter.

  "A demon in my heart?" Sato scoffed inwardly. What nonsense.

  Soon, the four of them fell silent once again. None of them were particurly talkative, so the quiet atmosphere didn't feel awkward at all.

  Meanwhile, Haunter had been unusually calm siering the Burower. It occasionally g the burned ruins around them, seemingly deep in thought.

  Time passed slowly.

  With less than ten minutes until midnight, Reverend Mingguang was the first to rise, followed closely by Morty.

  Sato and the other disciple stayed slightly behind, while their Haunter and Misdreavus also sehat a pivotal moment in their lives roag, making them visibly tense.

  "Hold onto the Dusk Stone, Misdreavus. Give it your all," Morty's disciple said, handing the Dusk Stoo his Pokémon and guiding it toward the patoonlight.

  "Haunter, you go too."

  Haunter nodded seriously and floated forward without hesitation.

  "The us begin."

  Reverend Mingguang spoke softly, pressing his hands together as his half-closed eyes reflected a golden glow. He then began quietly reg Sages scriptures, his entire body emitting a faint golden radiance.

  Morty simply closed his eyes, pressing his index and middle fio his forehead as he activated his special abilities.

  Perhaps due to the resoween their unique abilities, Sato's Dark Energy also began to stir restlessly.

  "Hmm?"

  Reverend Mingguang tilted his head slightly, his ears twitg as if deteg something. A brief flicker nition crossed his face before he turned back around.

  Sato tensed.

  He wasn't afraid of his special ability being discovered, but he preferred to keep it under s for now. It was clear that the reverend had noticed something but had chosen not to address it.

  Sato frowned. He disliked this feeling, but since Haunter's evolution clearly depended on Reverend Mingguang's presence, he could only wait and see how things pyed out.

  Before long, a faint purple glow began to radiate from Haunter's body. Almost immediately, a golden light surged in response, merging with the purple energy.

  The two opposing forces flickered and pulsed, iwining around Haunter, who remained motionless, floating silently within the glowing co.

  Sato g his watch, mentally ting down the seds until midnight.

  A short distance away, Misdreavus carefully held the Dusk Stone in its tiny hands. Unlike Haunter, it wasn't enveloped in special energies, but the moonlight bathed it fully.

  "It's happening!"

  At the stroke of midnight, the previously gentle moonlight intensified, casg through the ruined ceiling like a waterfall, pletely enveloping Haunter and Misdreavus.

  At that moment, Misdreavus swiftly absorbed the Dusk Stoo its body. It was soon ed in a co of glowing light, beginning its evolution!

  Simultaneously, Haunter was also swallowed by the moonlight, with the golden and purple energies weaving into its transformation.

  Seven ht seds ter, brilliant blue light began leaking from the cracks in Misdreavus' co—its evolution was nearly plete!

  As the transformatiressed, the moonlight became even more erratic, with vast amounts of its energy being absorbed into Misdreavus' co, intensifying its glow.

  Moments ter, the evolution cluded, and a Mismagius emerged.

  Through the feedback of his Dark Energy, Sato was astoo realize that Mismagius, which had inally possessed ae-tier potential, had now surged to a level betweee and Pseudo-Elite Four!

  That half-tier increase alone raised Mismagius' ces of breaking through to Pseudo-Elite Four level by 30%!

  Seeing this, Sato became even more eager for Haunter's evolution. The potential boost was invaluable—trading a Duskull for Haunter's long-term future was absolutely worth it!

  After evolving, Mismagius quickly returo its trainer's side, gng enviously at Haunter, who was still is co of moonlight, abs energy with no signs of beginning the transformation.

  Nearby, Morty was already sweating, while Reverend Mingguang seemed slightly better off, though his rapid ting suggested he wasn't as calm as he appeared.

  Both of them had to tinuously reinforce their special energies.

  Seeing this, aruck Sato—if his Dark Energy could py the same role in Dark-type Pokémon evolutions as Morty's ability did fhost-types...

  Haunter hadn't even evolved yet, but Sato already felt like he had gained valuable insight. His eyes sparkled as he watched the evolving Pokémon—at st, Haunter's evolution light began to shihrough the co.

  The energy surrounding Haunter was far more intehan Mismagius' transformation. Almost instantly, the light erupted into a brilliant explosion!

  A vast blue glow domihe area, interwoven with radiant moonlight. Meanwhile, golden and violet special energies drifted through like scattered wisps of stardust.

  It was beautiful, like a vast starry sky.

  Then, all the radiance began verging toward Haunter. Every strand of energy—regardless of its color—was absorbed into its evolving body.

  Before their eyes, Haunter's shape began to shift. Its detached hands retracted bato its body, its lower half and stubby legs formed, and the spikes on its back extended outward.

  As the final light faded, a rge, deep purple figure emerged—a grinning, mischievous creature with its iic, plump silhouette.

  But instead of the usual blood-red eyes…

  Gengar's eyes were golden.

  A mysterious golden glow flickered within its gaze, occasionally fshing with a trace of violet light.

  With a slow dest, Gengar nded on the ground—it no longer hovered. Instead, it fidently waddled forward with its short legs in a pyful, boung motion.

  Grinning widely, it proudly dispyed its new form before Sato.

  "gratutions, Gengar!"

  "gratutions to you, Sato. Are you satisfied with your new Gengar?" Morty wiped the sweat from his forehead, his voice carrying an almost imperceptible trace of envy.

  "Very satisfied. Thank you, Leader Morty!"

  Sato could already se through his Dark Energy—Gengar's Ghost-type potential had definitely surpassed Pseudo-Elite Four. However, it still hadn't quite reached Elite Four level.

  Even so, Sato was more than pleased.

  "Gengar's uniqueness is something you'll gradually discover," Morty remarked. "Also, you should be thanking Reverend Mingguang. When he heard I was helping evolve your Haunter, he volunteered to assist."

  As Morty spoke, he cast Sato a knowing gnce.

  Sato blinked, quickly pieg together the situation. These two had clearly kept things from him—perhaps eve him up in a way.

  Objectively speaking, he had indeed gained signifit bes from this, but…

  That lingering sense of being maniputed left him feeling...

  Extremely irritated.