"Brother Feng!"
Sun Ge, who had just regained consciousness, dropped to his knees with a thud. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he clutched Su Feng's legs.
"Brother Feng, thank you! If it weren't for you, we'd all be ghost food back there!"
Su Feng stared at the sobbing bald man, unsure how to react. After returning the soul orbs to their bodies, Sun Ge and his crew had finally woken up. Upon learning Su Feng was still in the hospital, Sun Ge rushed over to grovel.
"From now on, you're my boss! I'll follow your lead!"
Su Feng scratched his head awkwardly. "Just… stop leeching off my clout."
"Huh? That's it?" Sun Ge blinked.
"Not enough?" Su Feng raised an eyebrow.
Sun Ge slapped himself twice. "No, no! It's perfect! Please forgive me! I'll kneel here until you're satisfied!"
The bustling hospital hallway drew stares as onlookers pointed at the spectacle. Su Feng sighed. "Get up. I forgive you."
"No! You didn't mean it!"
Su Feng: "…"
Who's forgiving whom here?
He reached down to haul Sun Ge up—only to find the man rooted like a boulder. With a grunt, Su Feng yanked him upright like a toddler.
Sun Ge: "…"
The last time someone lifted me like this was when I was three…
Seeing Sun Ge's vigor, Su Feng assumed the others had recovered too. "No need to repay me. Just don't slander Pokémon, and take care of yourself."
He left without looking back, Sun Ge muttering in awe: "A real hero…"
Meanwhile, at Home
"This is your new home, Haunter!"
Su Feng flopped onto his bed, exhausted, while Torchic sprawled beside him. Haunter, however, zipped around like a hyperactive child, poking at everything.
"Another mouth to feed…"
Su Feng opened the system shop, browsing Energy Blocks and TMs for Haunter. "Wait, I haven't even checked her moves yet!"
He spent 1 point to inspect Haunter's stats:
Haunter
Level: 27
Type: Ghost/Poison
Ability: Levitate
Gender: Female
Moves: Shadow Punch, Hypnosis, Confuse Ray, Lick, Mean Look, Payback, Curse, Hex, Dream Eater, Psychic, Shadow Ball
Shiny: YES
Note: What cosmic luck let you stumble upon this gem?
"SHADOW BALL!? PSYCHIC!?"
Su Feng's jaw dropped. Torchic side-eyed the drool pooling at the corner of his mouth.
"HAUNTER! YOU'RE A TREASURE!"
He scooped her up, spinning wildly on the bed as she giggled. Mid-spin, he froze.
"Wait… your mouth… is that purple?"
Rechecking the stats, Su Feng's hands trembled. "SHINY HAUNTER!?"
Haunter tilted her head, confused. She'd always had a purple mouth—her friends' were pink. But to Su Feng, she was a rainbow in a world of gray.
The system's snarky note made him grin. Maybe the system isn't so bad after all.
Later That Night
"Haunter."
She floated over, sensing his seriousness. Torchic hopped up beside them.
"Do you… like battling?"
Haunter paused, thinking.
"You don't have to answer now," Su Feng said, stroking Torchic's head. "But you have two paths."
"Path One: Train hard. Evolve into Gengar. Become powerful. Protect yourself—and me. It'll hurt. It'll suck. But I'll support you every step."
He took a breath.
"Path Two: Stay safe. Adventure with us, or relax at home. Watch TV. Play games. No pressure."
"I'll never abandon you. The choice is yours."
"Which path do you choose?"