After eating and drinking their fill, Johan headed back to the residence with his Pokémon.
"Team Rocket's trio showed up... so Ash should be around here too, right?"
Johan was perplexed.
After all, he'd only recently crossed paths with Blue.
There was no way the Rocket trio would try to steal Red's Pikachu, right? That electric mouse isn't exactly what you'd call "cooperative."
Struggling to make sense of this mishmash of events, Johan decided not to dwell on it.
And he resolved:
Unless absolutely necessary, I'm staying put from now on.
Who knows who I'll "bump into" next?
Fortunately, the residence lent to him by the Dragon Clan was spacious, complete with a beautiful garden where Haunter and the others could burn off energy and train.
For Haunter, Vulpix, and Tinkatuff, their training routines were well-established, requiring little oversight from Johan.
When not training, they indulged in their respective "hobbies":
Haunter loved using Substitute and Night Shade to play hide-and-seek in the house.
Johan suspected the self-proclaimed "King of Fear" would terrify an unwitting visitor into fainting if given half the chance.
He sometimes mused about opening a haunted house. With Haunter alone, he could run a wildly successful operation.
Meanwhile, Vulpix and Tinkatuff had developed a peculiar dynamic: one building snowmen, the other gleefully smashing them.
They made such a good team that Johan thought they could run an ice cream parlor.
The only wildcard was Dratini.
Its training focused on the basics while working to build rapport with Johan.
There was no rush.
However, Johan did notice one of Dratini's quirks—it adored anything soft.
It would roll blissfully in soft grass whenever it found some.
"Dratini."
"Driii?"
Lounging on the lawn, the little dragon raised its head and looked at Johan curiously.
In his hand, Johan held a small, ancient-looking fang and a move tutor device.
"Driii!! (★O◇O)"
At the sight of the Dragon Fang, Dratini perked up instantly, slithering excitedly toward Johan.
Thud!
In its eagerness, it didn't notice a hole Vulpix had dug and tumbled face-first into the ground.
Johan: "..."
Dratini, however, was undeterred. It quickly recovered and wriggled up to Johan, gazing longingly at the fang and whimpering softly.
Johan chuckled and gently dusted off the dirt clinging to its face.
Dratini blinked at him, its big eyes glistening.
"There's no need to rush. This was always meant for you," Johan said warmly.
This Dragon Fang and the Dragon Pulse move tutor had been winnings from a match against Roxanne.
He'd figured they'd never see use and left them in storage, never expecting to catch a Dratini.
Dratini blinked rapidly, tears brimming in its eyes.
"Driii~~ (︿)"
For a Pokémon born with an almost comical streak of bad luck, Dratini secretly yearned for care and affection.
Johan patted its smooth head gently and said, "From now on, we're family, okay?"
"Driii!"
Without warning, Dratini coiled itself around Johan, embracing him tightly with its long, sinuous body.
Sensing its happiness, Johan tried to reassure it further—
But Dratini's coils grew tighter.
"Wait—wait! Dratini! Don't get so—so excited! Let me... breathe—"
Snap.
"Johan!"
Lance arrived at the garden just in time to see Johan sprawled on the ground, limp from Dratini's "loving" grip.
He chuckled.
"You've only had it for a day, and you're already this close?"
Johan, red-faced, weakly extended a hand in Lance's direction.
It took a moment for Lance to realize—
Oh. Johan might actually be dying.
After a harrowing escape from Dratini's "death bind," Johan sat on the grass, gasping for air.
If Dratini was this strong now, what would its hugs be like as a Dragonite?
Lance handed him a folder. "Professor Elm's report just came in."
It was an analysis of the magnetic fields around Lake of Rage.
Johan skimmed through the document.
According to Elm, while the magnetic anomalies caused by the machines were significant, they weren't enough to trigger the transformation in the Red Gyarados.
He theorized that equipment malfunctions had caused an overload, releasing excessive current and electromagnetic waves, which exacerbated Gyarados's condition.
"So, it was an accident?"
Lance shook his head grimly. "I'm not so sure."
While Elm's findings suggested a mishap, the true cause remained uncertain.
"Professor Elm has requested to meet you at his lab to better understand the Red Gyarados's condition."
Johan hesitated, glancing at Haunter.
The timing felt oddly convenient.
Haunter, ever perceptive, was also nearing a tipping point.
Its usual insatiable appetite had noticeably changed. After consuming a portion of Koga's Weezing and a fragment of Black Sludge, Haunter had grown significantly larger.
The materials, rich in toxicity, seemed to be taking longer to digest, marking Haunter's progress toward an evolutionary threshold.
Holding Haunter back from evolving wasn't ideal—it could hinder its growth.
No matter how tight Johan's finances got, his Pokémon's well-being came first.
"I'll go," Johan finally agreed.
Lance nodded gratefully.
"Thanks. You've already done so much for me."
Lance lay back on the grass, gazing at the endless blue sky.
"Johan, do you think there'll ever be a time when humans and Pokémon live together as freely as the clouds?"
Johan lay back as well, letting the tranquility of the moment wash over him.
"There will be," he said softly.
Lance's question reminded him of someone he hadn't seen in a long time—a certain Mathematical Magician.
People like Lance, the magician, Cynthia, Red, and Ash made it seem less like a dream and more like an eventuality.
Lance smiled.
"I've submitted a request to take on a covert mission once Gyarados recovers."
Johan's heart sank.
Covert mission?
Was Lance planning to infiltrate Team Rocket?
Two days later, the Red Gyarados's condition had stabilized.
Though still irritable, it had acknowledged Lance as its trainer.
From here on, recovery would involve a regimen of soothing audio and gradual psychological rehabilitation.
With Gyarados in good hands, Johan boarded a plane from Blackthorn City to Saffron City, en route to Elm's lab at Bill's Lighthouse.
The location of Bill's research was notoriously ambiguous:
In the anime, he resided at Bill's Lighthouse.In the games, he worked out of Sea Cottage in northeast Kanto.At times, he was based in Johto's Goldenrod City.
Luckily, after some inquiries, Johan confirmed Bill was currently at the lighthouse.
Elsewhere in Saffron City...
A burst of flames illuminated a cozy apartment as a plume of fragrant smoke filled the air.
"Alakazam!"
The mustachioed Psychic Pokémon used its powers to gather the smoke and waft it out an open window.
"Well done, Alakazam!"
Wearing an apron, a tall, sharp-eyed girl flipped food in a frying pan.
She glanced at Alakazam, who scratched the back of its head bashfully.
Not long ago, this girl had been a cold, aloof psychic prodigy, wielding her powers with terrifying recklessness.
But now, she seemed... almost human.
This was Sabrina, Gym Leader of Saffron City and one of Team Rocket's top operatives.
"Alakazam, grab me a soda. Also, the movie's over—put on another."
Despite her newfound warmth, some of her arrogance lingered.
Still, Alakazam couldn't complain.
Compared to the tyrant she used to be, Sabrina now resembled an angel.
"Thanks!" Sabrina popped the soda open, downing it in one go.
Her latest obsession was cooking—and making others eat her creations.
Her father had recently taken to leaving the house early and coming home late to avoid her "experiments."
But Alakazam had no such luck.
"It's tamarind and persim berry chicken wings! Try it!" Sabrina beamed.
The dish looked... unrecognizable.
Alakazam felt its knees tremble.
Before it could take a bite, both Sabrina and Alakazam froze.
Their psychic senses flared as they detected a presence approaching the city.
Sabrina's eyes narrowed.
"Let's go."
Alakazam sighed in relief, grateful for the sudden distraction.
Saved... for now.
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Powerstones?
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