diff --git a/src/ui/BoxMenu.lua b/src/ui/BoxMenu.lua
index 76b22781..5dc2b694 100644
--- a/src/ui/BoxMenu.lua
+++ b/src/ui/BoxMenu.lua
@@ -180,8 +180,8 @@ local function release(game)
          and mon.ot == game.save.player.name then
         require("src.core.Sound").playCry(game.data, mon.species)
         game.stack:push(TextBox.new(game,
-          (t._PikachuUnhappyText or Strings("%s looks\nunhappy about it!", name))
-            :gsub("{RAM:wNameBuffer}", name)))
+          ((t._PikachuUnhappyText or Strings("%s looks\nunhappy about it!", name))
+            :gsub("{RAM:wNameBuffer}", name))))
         return
       end
       game.stack:push(TextBox.new(game,
diff --git a/tests/engine/pikachu_unhappy_release_crash.lua b/tests/engine/pikachu_unhappy_release_crash.lua
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0f4ded1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/engine/pikachu_unhappy_release_crash.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+-- BoxMenu's Yellow-only "Pikachu looks unhappy" release path
+-- (release()'s isYellow()/species=="PIKACHU"/otId/ot branch) pushes its
+-- TextBox with `TextBox.new(game, (...):gsub(...))` -- the gsub call is
+-- the last argument, unparenthesized, so Lua expands its second return
+-- value (the substitution count) into TextBox.new's third parameter,
+-- onDone.  TextBox.lua later calls onDone() unconditionally once the box
+-- is dismissed, and a number is not callable: every release of your own
+-- caught Pikachu in Yellow crashed, regardless of its nickname (unlike
+-- the separate %-escape gsub bug, this needs no special save content --
+-- ordinary play reaches it every time).  ROM-free: registers a fake
+-- Data.pokemon.PIKACHU cloned from the fixture species so the species ==
+-- "PIKACHU" check can be exercised without a real ROM import.
+package.path = "./?.lua;./?/init.lua;" .. package.path
+
+local T = require("tests.modkit")
+local Data = T.fixtures.fresh()
+local ids = T.fixtures.ids
+require("src.render.Font").load(Data)
+
+-- clone a real fixture species under the literal id release() checks for
+Data.pokemon.PIKACHU = Data.pokemon[ids.species[1]]
+
+local Pokemon = require("src.pokemon.Pokemon")
+local Boxes = require("src.pokemon.Boxes")
+local TextBox = require("src.render.TextBox")
+local BoxMenu = require("src.ui.BoxMenu")
+local ListMenu = require("src.ui.ListMenu")
+local ChoiceBox = require("src.ui.ChoiceBox")
+local SaveData = require("src.core.SaveData")
+local GameVersion = require("src.core.GameVersion")
+local Sound = require("src.core.Sound")
+
+local realCry, realPlay = Sound.playCry, Sound.play
+Sound.playCry = function() end
+Sound.play = function() end
+
+local stack = { states = {} }
+function stack:push(s) self.states[#self.states + 1] = s end
+function stack:pop()
+  local t = self.states[#self.states]
+  self.states[#self.states] = nil
+  return t
+end
+function stack:top() return self.states[#self.states] end
+function stack:update(dt)
+  local t = self:top()
+  if t and t.update then t:update(dt) end
+end
+
+local pressed = {}
+local function press(btn)
+  pressed = { [btn] = true }
+  stack:update(1 / 60)
+  pressed = {}
+end
+
+local function topMt() return getmetatable(stack:top()) end
+local function mash(btn, cond, n)
+  for _ = 1, (n or 400) do
+    if cond() then return true end
+    press(btn)
+  end
+  return false
+end
+
+GameVersion.set("yellow")
+
+local save = SaveData.newGame()
+local game = {
+  data = Data,
+  save = save,
+  stack = stack,
+  input = {
+    wasPressed = function(_, key) return pressed[key] or false end,
+    isDown = function() return false end,
+  },
+}
+game.save.options = game.save.options or {}
+game.save.options.textSpeed = 1
+
+local box = Boxes.active(save)
+local mon = Pokemon.new(Data, "PIKACHU", 5)
+mon.otId = save.player.id
+mon.ot = save.player.name
+box[1] = mon
+
+stack:push(BoxMenu.new(game))
+press("down"); press("down"); press("a") -- open RELEASE list
+T.check(topMt() == ListMenu, "RELEASE opens the box list")
+
+-- release() calls Sound.playCry (stubbed) then pushes the "unhappy"
+-- TextBox before any confirmation prompt -- pre-fix this line itself
+-- raises "attempt to call field 'onDone' (a number value)" the moment
+-- TextBox.new stores the leaked count and something dismisses the box.
+local ok, err = pcall(function()
+  press("a") -- choose the Pikachu; release() runs synchronously here
+  T.check(topMt() == TextBox, "the unhappy-Pikachu TextBox opens directly, no confirm prompt")
+  -- dismiss it: this is what calls onDone, which is where the pre-fix
+  -- leaked count used to crash
+  mash("a", function() return topMt() ~= TextBox end)
+end)
+T.check(ok, "releasing your own caught Pikachu in Yellow does not crash: " .. tostring(err))
+
+GameVersion.set("red")
+Sound.playCry, Sound.play = realCry, realPlay
+T.finish("pikachu_unhappy_release_crash")