Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

But Zoroya never expected that the terrifying-looking purple balloon-like elf would take him in.

Although his reason for taking me in was, "I'll keep you here because you can scare people. I won't give you anything to eat if you can't scare anyone!"

Even though Gengar had never scared anyone because of its lack of experience, it still left itself some food.

For the first time in this indifferent world, she felt a touch of warmth.

Perhaps, living here forever wouldn't be so bad?

Just as she was thinking this, perhaps because they disliked her, the second-in-command of the elven group, Chandelure, and the elves under its command suddenly started finding various reasons to bully her.

After more than a month, there was almost no part of my body that hadn't been damaged by them.

Zorua didn't want to tell Gengar about this because she knew it would be pointless. Who would punish their important companion for a new Pokémon that wasn't even a true ally?

Forget about punishment, they probably won't even reprimand you. In the end, you'll most likely be kicked out.

Compared to the harsh wilderness, she felt that although this place was gloomy, she could barely survive here.

So she chose to endure it.

Until this day, Zoroya received a long-lost warmth from a stranger.

Although this embrace originally belonged to other elves.

…………

Xia Chen had no idea that his Eevee had been switched with another one; his attention was now entirely focused on the illusion before him.

Although Eevee has just successfully found the Misdreavus that cast the spell to create the illusion, a wise man will not step into the same river twice.

The second attempt to crack the code will definitely be more difficult, so we can't put all our hopes on Ibrahimovic.

He tried hard to recall the real layout of the hotel lobby that had appeared in his eyes in just two minutes: the reception desk was directly in front, and the stairs were to the side and behind the reception desk; in the illusion, the stairs were just a wall.

He suddenly had a bold idea: what would happen if he walked out of this lobby?

It is certain that the magic of the Dream Demon is based on creating illusions in its own and Eevee's brains, rather than actually changing the environment.

Therefore, there must be a casting range. Judging from the position just now, it and Gengar were standing in the very center of the hall, most likely because it could radiate to the entire hall.

Make sure that no matter where you are in the lobby, it can cast the spell.

Therefore, the key to breaking this deadlock is to get out of here!

In order to create an illusion, the Misdreavus will definitely follow, and once it moves, Eevee will have a chance to find a weakness!

After careful consideration, Xia Chen felt that while the plan wasn't foolproof, it was definitely worth trying.

He turned and winked at Milotic, signaling them to break through to the side and rear of the front end in a moment, and to be aware of fire support.

Those Ghost-type Pokémon are definitely watching him from the side. Communication would expose the plan, and Xia Chen felt that he and the two Pokémon should have this understanding.

Milos did not disappoint Xia Chen, nodding solemnly.

He had just noticed the actual layout of the hotel, so he understood what Xia Chen meant.

Very good. Even the not-so-bright Milotic understood my intentions, so Ibrahimovic will definitely have no problem at all.

As Xia Chen thought this, he secretly scratched the Eevee in his arms, and the latter twitched its ears and looked at him in confusion.

Xia Chen gave Milotic the same look he had given Milotic, but the response he received was a pair of big, innocent eyes.

…………

What's going on??

Xia Chen was a little confused. Did Eevee go to Gengar's place and lose its mind?

The two people stared at each other, wide-eyed, and froze.

The Ghost-type Pokémon outside the illusion were also watching with great interest, and many of them cast admiring glances at Gengar.

To come up with such an exciting way to play, you truly are amazing, Gengar!

"Jie Jie Jie!"

Gengar was also very excited. Having been in the business for over twenty years, it had long lost interest in ordinary scares, especially lately, as the people who came were becoming increasingly timid.

Today, it rediscovered the thrill of being scared for the first time!

Looking at the Zorua disguised as Eevee in Xia Chen's arms, Gengar stroked his chin. This little guy is indeed talented; we need to properly train her acting skills.

Seeing Xia Chen's expression, Eevee next to Gengar breathed a sigh of relief; the bet should be a sure win now.

On the other side, the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the hotel lobby was glaring fiercely at Soroya.

If it could sense things telepathically, it would be constantly sending the message "Backstab that trainer!" to Zorua right now.

I haven't tasted such vibrant life force in a long time.

As long as Zoroya attacks this human as planned, he can taste the long-lost flavor of flesh and blood without even lifting a finger.

This time, that fatso has no excuse to talk about himself anymore, since I wasn't the one who hurt him.

Recalling Gengar's previous warning, Chandelure was still seething with anger.

He actually reprimanded his fellow human for the sake of a human, and even said that if it happened again, he would expel him.

And that Zoroa too, it's clearly an annoying Dark-type Pokémon, but that fatso kept it. What kind of good guy is he pretending to be?

As long as Zoroah attacks that human, she will definitely be driven out of the abandoned hotel by Gengar, and Zoroah will be able to taste the life force without paying a price.

That's a brilliant plan to kill two birds with one stone!

Jie Jie Jie!

And even if Zoroya doesn't listen to me in the end, it doesn't matter. I have a backup plan. It's just a matter of bringing the plan forward a little.

That chubby purple guy's good days are coming to an end!

……

"Bubu-ee?"

Soroya looked at Xia Chen nervously, feeling uneasy. Had he been discovered?

She knew her acting skills weren't very good; otherwise, with her ability to transform, she wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state.

She once disguised herself as a human child and went to the countryside to freeload, but before anyone could even speak to her, she would nervously reveal her fox tail.

From then on, she only dared to transform into an elf whose size was similar to her own.

Each time she transforms into a similar-sized and extremely popular Eevee, she can obtain some food from humans. Gradually, Eevee becomes the Pokémon she is best at imitating.

She was certain that she had perfectly imitated the size, physical characteristics, and even the sounds of the sounds; there was no reason for her to be discovered.

The two stared at each other for three or four seconds before the tense atmosphere was finally broken.

"It's alright, Ibu, just keep an eye on your surroundings."

Xia Chen's calm answer relieved Soroya; it seemed he hadn't been exposed.

Outside the environment, Gengar was also winking at Eevee, "Kujah—(See? Your trainer doesn't care about you at all. Looks like you're destined to play with me here!)"

"Bubu-ee!"

Ibrahimovic gritted his teeth, pretending to be angry, but inwardly he remained calm.

When it comes to understanding Xia Chen, she claims to be number one, and no one dares to claim to be number two.

Just by looking at Xia Chen's expression, Eevee could tell that he had already realized that the person next to him was a fake Eevee, and that they were putting on an act.

After all, Xia Chen had no idea about his bet with Gengar, and was probably wondering where his real self was right now.

Before he's sure of his own safety, he probably won't make any moves that might alert the enemy, and will continue to play along with that fake Eevee.

Thinking of this, Ibrahimovic suddenly felt a sense of unease.

The solution to this game is simple: Xia Chen just needs to expose Soroya's disguise.

But for Xia Chen, it was impossible for him to do this easily, because he could not be sure of his own safety.

Ibrahimovic understood the most difficult aspect of this game for Xia Chen—

Without knowing the terms of the bet, can he break the fourth wall, see through the essence of the game, and find the correct answer?

…………

Xia Chen's hair stood on end. The elf in his arms was definitely not his Eevee. What was this thing?

Is it also a hallucination cast on oneself by a nightmare demon?

Impossible. Xia Chen could confirm from their eye contact just now that the Dream Demon, which couldn't even simulate the smell of blood, could not possibly simulate a higher-level living being.

So it's a ghost?

The nature of this spirit world is unclear, but ghosts appear in the world depicted in both the animation and the game, so Xia Chen doesn't rule out this possibility.

However, since we're in the Pokémon world, the most likely scenario is that this is another Pokémon disguised as Eevee!

Ditto? Or Zorua?

Xia Chen couldn't be sure.

It is said that when a Ditto with weaker abilities transforms into another Pokémon, its beady eyes will not change.

Judging from the eyes alone, Soroya is more likely.

But this is not critical.

The key question is, where did my Eevee go?

Xia Chen was extremely anxious, but on the surface he had to pretend that nothing had happened, so as not to alert the enemy.

Especially in situations like these, it's crucial to remain calm.

First of all, it can be confirmed that these Ghost-type Pokémon did not intend to harm him; otherwise, given their numbers and strength, there would be no need for them to trap him with illusions.

Therefore, this is most likely a game directed by Gengar, and he is the protagonist of this game.

So what was the reason it replaced Ibrahimovic?

The most likely reason is that her performance in this game was so overwhelmingly superior that Gengar banned her.

Does Gengar want it to break the illusion?

That's probably the truth, so we can deduce that the fake Eevee in his arms is most likely no threat to him.