"Gastly..."
Seeing the Gastly and recalling the incredibly vivid dream he just had, Johan slowly put the pieces together.
His nightmare... was probably caused by this little guy, right?
But judging by how Gastly looked now, it seemed... scared of him?
Johan couldn't help but find the situation amusing.
When he first encountered the Ghost-type Pokémon in his dream, he had indeed been frightened.
But after overcoming the initial shock and having now actually seen such a Pokémon, it wasn't as difficult to accept.
Seeing the terrified expression on Gastly's face, it was hard to believe that this Pokémon—usually the one scaring others—was now the one being scared.
The two of them, human and Pokémon, stared at each other for a full minute.
The whole time, it seemed as if Johan was the real terrifying Ghost-type Pokémon, and Gastly was the "victim."
Gulp.
The sound of Gastly swallowing broke the eerie silence in the room.
"So, was that dream your doing?" Johan suddenly asked.
Almost reflexively, Gastly nodded.
But then it quickly realized its mistake and began shaking its head like a rattle drum.
Seeing Gastly's behavior, Johan already knew the answer.
Realizing it couldn't hide the truth, Gastly forced what it thought was a very friendly smile.
"Ka-kah—"
Gastly, being a gaseous Pokémon, wasn't confined by things like doors or windows. Normally, Gastly would reside in graveyards or abandoned, dilapidated houses. While Johan's place was old, it wasn't the kind of place that should attract a Gastly.
However, as a Pokémon psychology instructor, Johan could clearly understand from Gastly's expressions and reactions one crucial fact:
Gastly was afraid of him.
Or more accurately, it was afraid of the Giratina it had seen in the dream.
But it didn't really matter what exactly Gastly was afraid of.
What mattered was that it was scared.
As everyone knows, the best way to capture a Pokémon is to weaken it and then use a Poké Ball.
Additionally, forming a bond or putting the Pokémon into a state of paralysis or fear also provides a good opportunity.
And right now, Gastly was in a state of fear and panic, almost like a reflexive response to stress.
Johan slowly sat up from the sofa.
Under Gastly's watchful gaze, he calmly folded the blanket neatly to one side, smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes, and took a deep breath.
His slow, deliberate movements and calm demeanor made Gastly begin to relax as well.
Maybe this human isn't so scary after all?
Suddenly.
Johan raised his hand abruptly.
"Look! Giratina!"
"Ka-kah!"
The Gastly, who had just managed to calm down, shuddered in shock and instinctively looked behind itself.
At the same time, Johan pulled a red-and-white Poké Ball from some corner and threw it toward Gastly.
Buzz!
A flash of red light enveloped Gastly, drawing it into the Poké Ball.
The room seemed to freeze in place, with Johan staring unblinkingly at the ball on the floor. He silently counted as it shook three times.
Clink!
The ball wobbled three times and, with a soft locking sound, came to a stop.
"Whooo..."
Johan let out a long sigh of relief.
A smile flashed across his face but quickly faded into indifference.
"So this is what it feels like to capture a Pokémon?"
It wasn't as exhilarating as he had imagined.
He stepped forward and picked up the Poké Ball.
This was a choice he had made after carefully thinking things through during that minute-long stare with Gastly.
There were three reasons behind his decision:
First, while Gastly seemed afraid of him, it would likely soon realize that Johan was just a human and had nothing to be afraid of. At that point, whether Gastly would continue using Hypnosis or simply leave was uncertain.
Second, if Gastly decided to act again, Johan, having ruled out the possibility of having a "super rookie" physique, knew that with the strength of an ordinary person, he stood no chance against a Pokémon, especially a Ghost-type.
Lastly... the opportunity was just too good.
If Ghost-type Pokémon weren't so creepy in real life, he probably wouldn't have hesitated for even a minute.
But after thinking it over, if Gastly could evolve into Gengar, it would be... quite special.
"Gastly, huh?" Johan pressed the button in the center of the Poké Ball, and it opened.
"Ka-kah?"
A swirl of black mist gathered from the red light, forming the confused figure of Gastly.
Its large white eyes blinked, and its sharp teeth and crimson tongue were still there.
Gastly blinked twice, finally realizing what had happened. It stared at Johan with an expression that seemed to say—I thought we were buddies, and you…
"Ka-kah!!!"
A sharp, screeching cry—whether from anger or frustration—echoed through the room.
Buzz!
Johan, who had been prepared for this, immediately used the Poké Ball again. A flash of red light, and Gastly was once again sucked into the ball, silencing its cry.
After a while, Johan released it again.
"Ka-kah!"
Recalled.
Released.
"Ka-kah…"
Recalled.
Released.
"…"
After several repetitions, Gastly: ( )
"Ka-kahhh~~"
Its voice was much calmer now, even showing a hint of appeasement.
Let's talk, okay? There's no need for all this.
Seeing that it had finally calmed down, Johan let out a sigh of relief.
'Turns out the idea that capturing a Pokémon instantly builds a bond is a myth,' he thought.
He was glad he had taken the initiative.
Now that they could communicate, things would be easier.
Grumble—
"Ka-kah?" Gastly looked puzzled.
What was that noise?
"Ahem." Johan coughed into his fist.
Looking away casually, he asked, "Hungry?"
"Ka-kah?"
Ten minutes later.
"Ka-kah!"
At the small dining table sat two bowls of steaming hot instant noodles.
Gastly looked utterly amazed, as if it had never seen such a thing before.
It stared at the bowl in front of it, inhaling the enticing aroma, and gulped.
"I've pretty much run out of groceries, so all I have left are two bowls of instant noodles…"
Johan explained.
The mental effort of dealing with Gastly, especially after that dream, had taken a bit of a toll on him.
Gastly nodded absentmindedly, though it wasn't clear if it really understood.
It just kept staring at the bowl of noodles, its misty form shifting around, unsure how to proceed.
"Well, let's dig in."
Johan didn't say anything more, picking up his chopsticks and slurping up a mouthful of noodles.
Slurp—
The sound caught Gastly's attention.
It looked at Johan's movements and seemed to understand.
A tendril of black mist extended from its body, forming a hand-like shape, which grabbed the chopsticks and reached for the bowl.
But it seemed this was Gastly's first time using such a tool—or eating noodles for that matter. After several attempts, it either failed to pick up the noodles or they slipped back into the bowl halfway through. Frustrated and embarrassed, Gastly grew agitated.
Watching Gastly's clumsy efforts, Johan couldn't help but chuckle. After swallowing his noodles, he said, "You might want to try a fork."
It was only then that Gastly noticed the fork placed beside its bowl—Johan didn't have one.
A strange warmth filled its heart.
Abandoning the chopsticks, Gastly eagerly grabbed the fork. On the first try, it finally managed to get some noodles.
"Ka-kah!!"
Gastly's eyes lit up as it tasted the noodles for the first time.
Even before it finished swallowing, it was already digging back into the bowl.
Seeing Gastly devouring the noodles, Johan chuckled again.
He finally introduced himself:
"Nice to meet you, Gastly. I'm Johan."
The dining table is the perfect place to build friendships.
"Ka-kah, Ka-kah!"
Gastly let out two enthusiastic cries.
Though it hadn't yet become particularly close to Johan, at least now it wasn't rejecting him.
"By the way." Johan put down his chopsticks and asked, "Gastly, why did you come here?"
This was the question that had been bugging him all night.
Slurp—
Gastly sucked in the last bit of noodles but didn't answer Johan's question. Instead, it licked its lips, staring longingly at the now empty bowl.
"I'm full."
Johan pushed his half-eaten bowl toward Gastly.
"Ka-kah?"
Gastly stared at him blankly.
Didn't you just say you were hungry?
But this was the first time Gastly had tasted something so delicious.
And it was also the first time it felt like something warm was flowing through its heart.
Johan smiled warmly. "As long as you don't mind."
"Ka-kah, Ka-kah!"
Gastly floated over to Johan, and before he could react—
Slurp—
Its long, crimson tongue gave his cheek a lick.
Johan froze.
It took him a moment to wipe the drool off his face.
"Have you brushed your teeth?"