When Chen Mo directly called out its name, Haunter froze mid-motion.
Half its body was submerged in the floor, the other half still exposed above ground.
And about a meter away from it, on the tiled floor, lay an unconscious little girl.
This is bad!
Haunter had lived for many years, but this was the first time it had ever found itself in such an unbearably awkward situation.
It wanted to slip away immediately—but Chen Mo and the others had already appeared at the entrance, four pairs of eyes locking firmly onto its position.
Under Yi-ge's camera, the livestream chat instantly exploded.
[HOLY SH—]
[It's definitely this thing! It hurt someone and now it wants to run! Mo-bao, get it!]
[Finally caught it red-handed! Mo-bao, don't let it escape!]
[Look at how vicious it looks—definitely not innocent. Mo-bao, no need for mercy, call Pidgeotto too, let it and Pichu jump it together!]
The comments were filled with righteous fury.
Aside from Chen Mo—and Yi-ge, whose face remained expressionless as ever—both Ah Hui and Qiao Cheng were visibly angry as well.
After all, the scene before them looked exactly like a criminal caught at the scene, attempting to flee after committing a crime.
"Pichu!"
Pichu leapt down from Chen Mo's shoulder onto the floor.
It stared warily at Haunter, sparks crackling from its rosy cheeks, as if it would attack the moment Chen Mo gave the order.
At the same time, outside the girls' restroom window, a pair of sharp eyes were also staring intently at Haunter through the glass.
"Kou…jie…"
Haunter was completely dumbfounded.
It had only been gone for a while—how had so many new Pokémon suddenly appeared here, all radiating hostility toward it?
Being stared at by so many eyes, especially with two Pokémon clearly ready to pounce, Haunter swallowed nervously.
Should I… run?
As the thought crossed its mind, its body instinctively began to sink downward again.
But at that moment, a calm voice drifted over.
"Trying to run? Haunter, does that mean you're admitting you hurt this girl?"
Haunter stiffened once more.
Hurt someone?
Admitting it?
That single sentence sent Haunter straight into a rage.
It shot back up from the floor, pointing frantically at the little girl while shouting "Koujie! Koujie!" nonstop. Afraid Chen Mo wouldn't understand, it even acted everything out with exaggerated gestures, vividly reenacting the entire sequence of events.
[Is it just me, or does Haunter look ridiculously aggrieved…]
[You're not wrong—that's the face of someone about to cry from frustration.]
[Damn, have I unlocked Pokémon language? It looks like Haunter's saying it's not the culprit.]
[Wait… did we misunderstand it?]
[You're believing it just like that? Mo-bao said before that Ghost-types can be very cunning. Maybe it's just acting pitiful to trick us.]
Ah Hui and Qiao Cheng also watched Haunter's dramatic "body-language performance" with deep suspicion.
"Kou…jie…"
None of you believe me…
Haunter's emotions plunged to rock bottom. Even its hand movements slowed to a stop as it drooped its head, floating listlessly in midair.
And right at that moment, the same familiar—and infuriating—voice sounded again.
"So what you're saying is: you just came back from outside, sensed a fluctuation of Ghost-type energy, thought it was one of your own kind, rushed over immediately, and then found this scene. Is that right?"
For some reason—
At that instant, Haunter found that this previously annoying voice now sounded like heavenly music.
It was genuinely moved.
"Koujie!"
Haunter nodded furiously.
[Uh-oh… Mo-bao didn't just accept Haunter's explanation, did he?]
[Relax. Mo-bao has his own judgment.]
[I mean… just maybe… Haunter really isn't the culprit. It looks genuinely pitiful.]
After glancing at the chat, Chen Mo first asked Qiao Cheng to check on the little girl's condition. Then he spoke slowly.
"I've previously talked to everyone about certain Ghost-type Pokémon that deserve special caution—or even avoidance. If you remember, Haunter wasn't among them."
"As for why I didn't include Haunter, the reason is simple. Compared to other Ghost-types, its threat level is relatively low."
"Haunter is the evolved form of Gastly. A large portion of the Gastly line doesn't harbor much malice toward humans. More often than not, they just enjoy playing pranks."
Hearing this, Qiao Cheng—who was examining the girl—paused.
He turned to Chen Mo in confusion.
"Pranks?"
"You guessed it."
Chen Mo smiled.
"If nothing unexpected happened, the midnight piano music—and the one that scared your colleague half to death by lifting him into the air—was most likely this Haunter."
"…Huh?"
Qiao Cheng looked at Haunter.
Haunter looked back at Qiao Cheng.
They stared at each other for a few seconds.
Then, as if something finally clicked, realization dawned on Haunter's face.
"Koujie! Koujie!"
Qiao Cheng stared at Haunter, which was now floating in circles around him with a wide grin.
"Mo-bro… it's—?"
"It's greeting you," Chen Mo explained helplessly.
"It says it's been a long time and that it's happy to see you again. Uh… now it's asking where your two friends—your colleagues—went."
Even someone as good-tempered as Qiao Cheng felt veins bulge on his forehead.
You've got the nerve to ask where they went?!
Seeing this, Chen Mo sighed, quickly calling Haunter back before turning to the camera.
"So, based on my current conclusion, Haunter was most likely wrongfully accused—just as it said. The real culprit is still, with high probability, the Ghost-type Pokémon staying by Xiao You's side."
Haunter glanced at Yi-ge's camera, then at Chen Mo, its expression full of confusion. Clearly, it couldn't understand why Chen Mo was talking to a pitch-black object.
Could there be another Pokémon inside it?
The more Haunter thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
After all, it could pass through walls—who was to say another Ghost-type wasn't hiding inside that thing?
"Koujie!"
Convinced of its own brilliance, Haunter floated toward the camera, intending to check out this shy fellow Ghost-type that refused to come out and meet it.
However—
Brimming with enthusiasm, and completely unaware of the countless livestream comments screaming [DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!], Haunter pressed its friendly smiling face right up to the lens.
"Koujie!"
No response.
Haunter tilted its head.
Then it passed straight through the camera.
There was nothing there.
"Koujie?!"
Haunter's eyes widened in shock.
Turning back to Chen Mo, the triangular white eyes now clearly filled with sorrow and pity.
"Kou…jie…"
Chen Mo: "..."
What on earth did you just imagine?!
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