Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect

When the writhing black Ghost-type energy finally dissipated, what appeared before John was a rotund purple Pokemon with a mischievous grin, gleaming white teeth, and eyes still glowing with scarlet intensity.

Golden marks remained where the charm rings had shattered, the mystical symbols now permanently etched into its arms like ornate bracelets that had fused with its very essence.

"Gengar!!" the newly evolved Pokemon roared triumphantly.

Then it immediately froze.

Surrounding Gengar in a perfect hexagon were six formidable opponents: Mega Gardevoir, John's bond-evolved Greninja, Mega Garchomp, Mega Blaziken, Mega Tyranitar, and Mega Gyarados.

John hadn't hesitated to expend enormous physical energy during the evolution, releasing all six Pokemon and triggering their Mega Evolutions simultaneously. He'd prepared for the possibility that breaking the charm ring might restore Gengar's violent personality and send it into an uncontrollable rampage.

Would it attack?

All six Mega Pokemon: [INTIMIDATING STARE]

Gengar: "Don't dare move! Absolutely don't dare move!" (╥﹏╥)

The purple phantom floated cautiously in place, looking at John with the most ingratiating expression imaginable.

"I thought breaking the charm ring would restore its violent personality," John mused, studying Gengar's distinctly non-threatening demeanor.

"Gengar~ (My loyalty to Boss can be witnessed by sun and moon!)" Gengar hastily proclaimed its devotion.

"That's more like it," John nodded approvingly, pulling out his Gameboy to check Gengar's post-evolution statistics.

[Gengar (Ghost/Poison)] (King) (Ancient)]

[Level: 83]

[Ability: Cursed Body (30% chance to disable attacking moves when hit), King's Presence (Gains additional abilities at 75%, 50%, and 25% HP)]

[IV's: HP (31), Attack (31), Special Attack (31), Defense (31), Special Defense (31), Speed (31)]

[Moves: Shadow Punch, Hypnosis, Mean Look, Confuse Ray, Lick, Payback, Spite, Curse, Hex, Night Shade, Sucker Punch, Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, Destiny Bond, Dream Eater, Will-O-Wisp, Sunny Day, Fire Punch, Ally Switch...]

[Held Item: Stealth Barrier (★★)]

"King?" John's pupils constricted as he noticed the new suffix.

Previously, Haunter had possessed three designations: Chief, Sealed, and Ancient. Now that the seal was broken, both "Chief" and "Sealed" had vanished, replaced by "King."

The title sparked a memory of a specific region from his gaming knowledge.

The Hisui Region! More precisely, ancient Sinnoh from two thousand years past!

According to game lore, Hisui was Sinnoh's ancient incarnation. In that era, a legendary hero and ten Pokemon received Arceus's blessing. These ten Pokemon became guardians of the Hisui Region, honored with the title of "King" or "Queen" if female.

"Gengar was one of the ancient nobles?" John rubbed his chin thoughtfully, though he harbored doubts about his theory.

In the games he'd played, only five nobles had been revealed, and Gengar wasn't among them. Could this Gengar be one of the five missing royals that never appeared in official records?

But he'd captured Haunter at the Bell Tower in Johto Region... How had an ancient Sinnoh king ended up imprisoned there?

The questions multiplied without answers.

John shook his head, deciding to focus on practical matters. Since Gengar's origins remained mysterious, he'd concentrate on understanding its new abilities.

The "King" status had granted Gengar a remarkable ability:

[King's Presence: Gains additional bonuses when HP drops to 75%, 50%, and 25%.]

The specific bonuses remained unclear, but testing would reveal everything.

"Gengar, let's have a practice battle with Gardevoir," John announced.

"Just stand still and don't resist."

Gengar: ???

Stand still, don't resist, but call it a battle? That sounded suspiciously like "please let me beat you up."

Despite its confusion, Gengar obediently complied.

John released Gardevoir's Mega Evolution, then instructed her to use the Fairy-type move Dazzling Gleam.

Gengar naturally resisted Fairy-type attacks, taking only half damage. Combined with its solid Special Defense and six-level advantage over Gardevoir, the attack was easily manageable.

Through his Gameboy interface, John watched Gengar's HP drop by exactly 13%.

"Again!"

When Gengar's HP fell to 75%, John witnessed King's Presence activate for the first time.

Golden light emanated from the fractured charm ring marks on Gengar's arms, transforming the purple phantom into a magnificent purple-gold form.

A new status effect appeared:

[King's Presence (75%): All stats increased by 10%, Ghost and Poison-type move power increased by 10%.]

"Impressive!" John's eyes lit up with excitement.

Enhanced stats and increased move power, the most practical benefits possible! Though the improvement seemed modest, this was only the first stage.

John eagerly anticipated the 50% and 25% thresholds.

"Continue the attack, Gardevoir."

Soon, Gengar's HP dropped below 50%, and its purple-gold body transformed into brilliant gold, radiating dazzling light as its status evolved:

[King's Presence (50%): All stats increased by 20%, Ghost and Poison-type move power increased by 20%, automatically activates Scary Face.]

A 20% boost to all stats and moves, plus an automatic Scary Face that would slow opponents, excellent progression!

John gave a silent thumbs up and gestured for Gardevoir to continue.

When Gengar's HP finally dropped to 25%, something extraordinary occurred.

The golden radiance faded as Gengar returned to its original purple coloration, but its body began ascending and expanding to three times normal size. Smoke-like purple flames wreathed its massive form.

Simultaneously, with Gengar as the epicenter, darkness engulfed a 100-meter radius. Flickering wisps of ghostly fire danced in the shadows like wandering spirits!

"Magnificent!" John couldn't contain his admiration, immediately checking Gengar's final transformation.

[King's Presence (25%): All stats increased by 30%, Ghost and Poison-type move power increased by 30%, automatically activates Scary Face, opens King's Domain "Dark Spirit Battlefield".]

[Dark Spirit Battlefield: Within the field, Gengar takes 25% less damage and all move power increases by 25%. High probability of inflicting "intimidation" status on enemy Pokemon.]