"Ka-kah?"
Is she asleep?
Gastly, clinging to the ceiling with the "Protect" TM, saw Johan come in from the balcony and asked.
"Yeah," Johan nodded.
He had an odd feeling.
For some reason, it seemed like this "Eevee Eats Cabbage" was even more enthusiastic about hypnotherapy than Feebas was.
But it didn't matter.
In the end, it was all to help Feebas.
And besides, the payment had been quite generous.
"How's 'Protect' coming along? Easy to learn?" Johan asked with a smile as he watched the serious-looking Gastly after finishing up his nightly routine.
Gastly, self-proclaimed as "exceptionally gifted," seemed quite confident. However, mastering "Protect" wasn't the same as learning "Substitute."
"Ka-Kah!"
Of course, it's a piece of cake!
Gastly stuck out its tongue, its eyes flashing with a hint of nervousness, but it still gave a firm response.
Johan didn't want to crush Gastly's confidence, so he simply smiled and turned to his own tasks.
Relieved, Gastly let out a breath.
Close call.
But then it steeled its gaze, determined.
It had to master "Protect," or else its "genius" reputation would crumble!
Floating down to the desk, Gastly carefully opened a metal tin, trying to be as quiet as possible so Johan wouldn't notice.
Inside the box were two types of Pokéblocks left over from the special training in Lavaridge Town—orange and red.
Which one was for boosting special attack?
Whatever.
Both together would be even better!
Gastly gulped, and its tongue darted out.
It swallowed all the remaining Pokéblocks at once.
"Hiss—"
The intense heat and bitterness exploded in its mouth, nearly making it breathe fire.
Gastly:
I regret everything…
But the jolt from the Pokéblocks' spicy, bitter flavors definitely made it more alert!
Meanwhile, Johan was sitting at his desk, flipping through Agatha's Terror Handbook.
The more he read, the more cold sweat began to drip down his forehead.
"Toxic Orb, Black Sludge, Spell Tag, Cursed Amulet, Trevenant's Root, Yamask's Mask…"
All these items combined would cost tens of millions of Pokédollars, easy!
Not to mention the regular expenses and move training costs.
To raise just one Gengar, Agatha must've spent at least 50 million!
Johan glanced at the red-faced, panting Gastly.
Is this really a Pokémon?
This is a gold-eating monster!
"Ka-kah?"
Gastly noticed Johan's stare.
They locked eyes for a moment before both looked away in a panic.
He didn't see me sneak those Pokéblocks, right?
This manual can't fall into Gastly's hands!
Late at night.
In the velvet sky above, a flawless full moon shone with quiet brilliance.
Every so often, a few Zubat flew by the window, hunting the last mosquitoes of autumn. Johan let out a long yawn, eyes tearing up from fatigue.
It had been a long time since he'd stayed up this late reading.
He had to admit, Agatha's Terror Handbook was immensely insightful. It gave him clear guidance on how to train Gastly and a solid plan for its eventual evolution.
"Gastly, aren't you tired yet?"
Closing the Terror Handbook, Johan turned to look at Gastly.
The sight made him jump.
Gastly's eyes were bloodshot, its lips dry, its tongue lolling, and even its dark aura seemed to be fading. It looked utterly exhausted, as if it had been drained eight or nine times over.
"Ka-Kah…Ka-Kah"
Nothing to it…piece of cake…
"Did you…actually master it?" Johan asked, astonished.
"Ka-kah!"
Of course…
Absolutely not!
It was so hard!
Tears welled up in its eyes.
Gastly: (;Д｀)
Johan sighed in relief.
He was really worried Gastly would master "Protect" so quickly, and then he'd have to buy another TM.
"Don't worry, we've got plenty of time. There's no rush," Johan said reassuringly.
"Ka-Kah~~"
I can only get halfway.
"Halfway?" Johan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Ka-Kah!"
Gastly's expression changed, and it concentrated. Black mist swirled around it, and a faint green shield appeared, but it only covered half of Gastly's body.
Still, getting halfway meant the full move couldn't be far off!
"Ka-Kah?"
Seeing Johan's stunned expression, Gastly waved its tongue in front of him.
Slurp—
When Johan didn't respond, Gastly licked his face.
The shock snapped Johan out of it.
Seeing Gastly's puzzled expression, he pulled out a Cheri Berry and took a bite.
"It's nothing. Just suddenly remembered something important."
Feigning nonchalance, Johan took out his phone.
As luck would have it, there were actually messages waiting for him.
[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: Someone barged into my house late at night, talking about some new strategy and woke me up. Now I'm wide awake and can't sleep. What should I do?
Someone challenged her at this hour?
Johan winced.
That person was either an idiot or had serious issues.
Seeing the message was from just a few minutes ago, Johan started typing a response. But before he could hit send, another message came in.
[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: The moon is so full tonight.
Attached was a photo.
At first glance, it was a beautiful full moon, its pale light illuminating a patch of grass and a lone tree.
The scene was quite serene.
But on closer inspection, cold sweat trickled down Johan's back.
There was a figure hanging from the branches, seemingly in black jeans, with what looked like a red afro, and beneath the tree lay a fainted Houndoom.
What the—
He hesitated, then typed a response—this client paid well and would be essential to raising Gastly.
[Grain in the Field]: Uh, so… do you need a relaxation session?
Johan sighed internally.
How did a Pokémon psychologist end up becoming a sleep therapist…
[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: Can I get a subscription? Monthly? Or maybe yearly.
Johan: "???"
Johan cleared his throat awkwardly. "Gastly, don't wander off. I need to make a call."
With that, he headed to the balcony.
"Ka-Kah~~"
Gastly watched him leave, eyes misty with emotion.
Working so late just to raise me… I need to try even harder!
Bathed in moonlight, Johan dialed a voice call.
"Hello~"
The voice on the other end sounded lazy.
But before Johan could say anything, something below caught his eye.
He saw a shadowy figure hurrying across the courtyard, chased by a Golbat and two Zubat. The bats swooped down, occasionally attacking the dark shape.
Golbat chasing a Muk?
What is this, a Pokémon soap opera?
"Hello?" The voice from the phone asked again.
"Hold on a second," Johan muttered, then called into the apartment, "Gastly!"
"Ka-Kah?"
Gastly floated out immediately, curiosity on its face.
Johan gestured downwards and said, "Help it out."
Muk might be a bit of a mess, but it wasn't known for harming people.
Plus, Johan had fed it Pokéblocks before.
Just then, a painful howl came from the shadowy figure.
Wait, that wasn't Muk's voice!
Gastly didn't need any further prompting—it darted down from the balcony in a flash.
Johan stuffed his phone into his pocket and ran out of the apartment.
Following the sounds, he finally found Gastly in a narrow alley, standing protectively in front of a filthy, mud-splattered creature.
Gastly was staring down the Golbat and two Zubat.
Johan approached the creature covered in garbage, noticing a trail of red that stood out starkly against the ground.
"Oowuu…" A weak whimper reached his ears.
Getting closer, despite the awful smell, Johan moved briskly.
He saw six tails matted together with sticky sludge!
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Powerstones?
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