"It's you two," Johan said, smiling as he stopped in his tracks.
Steven and Roxanne quickly approached him, greeting him again as "teacher."
Despite being their teacher, Johan wasn't much older than them—only two or three years senior, thanks to skipping grades while he was in school. This made them closer in age, and although they respected him as their instructor, their interactions with him were relaxed and natural.
Of course, another reason for this ease was that Johan had helped Steven improve the mental well-being of his Metang, which had made a significant impact.
"Teacher, we were looking for you. We went to your consultation room earlier but couldn't find you. Were you training your Pokémon?" Roxanne asked, surprised.
As a teacher at a Pokémon academy, it wasn't unusual for Johan to have his own Pokémon. However, in her mind, Johan had always been known for his theoretical knowledge and hadn't been seen with a Pokémon before.
Steven, however, knew more. He had seen Johan's Gastly during the mental therapy sessions with his Metang.
"Yes," Johan replied with a smile. He didn't hide it and asked, "Did you need something?"
Steven then explained the reason for their visit. It turned out that Roxanne had recently captured a new Pokémon, but this particular one had a rather aggressive personality.
Pokémon had a wide variety of temperaments—some were naturally calm, while others were prone to being irritable. Roxanne had initially thought that with time and proper training, her Pokémon's temper would calm down. However, instead of mellowing out, the Pokémon had only grown more unruly and even started disobeying her commands, which left her feeling quite frustrated.
After hearing from Steven how Johan had successfully helped his Metang with its psychological issues, Roxanne wondered if her Pokémon's behavior might also stem from a similar problem.
After listening, Johan asked, "So your Pokémon doesn't obey you? Did you battle and capture it first?"
Roxanne looked a little embarrassed and quietly replied, "It's the offspring of my father's Pokémon."
Johan understood now.
He glanced around and said, "Let's have a look. But this isn't the best place."
"The battlefields behind the training center should work," Steven suggested.
Since the sky was overcast, and it seemed like rain could start any moment, the outdoor battlefields, which were usually busy, were practically empty. Only a few people remained, packing up their things as they prepared to leave.
The three of them made their way to a corner of the field. At Johan's signal, Roxanne pulled out a Pokéball.
A flash of red light revealed her Pokémon.
"Geodude!"
A gray, boulder-like Pokémon with strong, muscular arms stood before them.
It was a Rock and Ground-type Pokémon—Geodude!
The Geodude cast a glance at the three of them, crossed its arms, and closed its eyes, exuding an air of disdain.
"Geodude, huh?" Johan was a bit surprised.
Geodude wasn't exactly rare—you could find several of them by hiking up a rocky mountain. Normally, Rock and Ground-type Pokémon had calm and quiet personalities, especially ones like Geodude and Graveler. Finding one with a fiery temper was unusual.
"Geodude!"
It seemed to have heard Johan calling it. It opened its eyes, looking at Johan with even more contempt when it realized he was just an ordinary-looking young man.
When it saw Johan eyeing it carefully, the Geodude couldn't hold back its irritation.
"Geodude!"
With a sudden leap, it charged straight at Johan!
Steven and Roxanne's expressions changed in an instant.
Steven reached for his Pokéball, and Roxanne was ready to recall Geodude.
But before they could act, a black mist floated out from Johan's side, revealing Gastly's eerie, grinning face.
Sensing the cold aura, Geodude didn't flinch. Its eyes narrowed, and it charged at Gastly instead, ready to strike with Tackle.
But—poof!
Geodude passed right through Gastly's gaseous form, unable to land a hit.
"Geodude?"
It looked confused as it landed back on the ground.
"Ka-kah…"
Gastly's laugh still echoed, but this time, it carried a hint of menace. Clearly, Gastly was upset that Geodude had tried to attack Johan.
Meanwhile, Steven had already summoned his Metang, ready to intervene if Geodude acted up again.
"Metang!"
Seeing Metang, Geodude hesitated, showing a brief flicker of fear before returning to its usual smug expression.
All of this didn't escape Johan's notice.
"Sorry, teacher. I didn't know it would act like this," Roxanne quickly apologized, preparing to return Geodude to its Pokéball.
But Johan raised his hand to stop her.
Geodude's sudden attack had surprised him, but with Gastly there, he hadn't been startled. And when Geodude used Tackle, Johan had seen a status screen appear before him, detailing Geodude's stats:
Geodude
Type: Rock/Ground
Ability: Rock Head
Moves: Tackle, Defense Curl, Mud Sport, Rock Polish, Rollout, Magnitude, Rock Throw, Block, Endure, Mega Punch
Mood: Agitated, Arrogant
Condition: Excellent (It just ate. It's eager to battle.)
Friendliness: -20 (You're too weak to be calling its name.)
Too weak, huh…
Johan couldn't help but frown slightly.
He had to admit, Roxanne's Geodude was quite impressive. As the offspring of one of her father's Pokémon, it had inherited powerful moves like Mega Punch. It made sense that the Geodude had developed arrogance, especially after being exposed to stronger Pokémon. It looked down on both Johan and Roxanne, but it seemed wary of Steven's Metang.
And because Roxanne hadn't battled to capture it, combined with the gentle treatment it had likely received, Geodude's attitude had only gotten worse.
The solution to a Pokémon like this was simple.
It just needed some "education."
Johan decided to handle it himself.
And it wasn't because Geodude had insulted him—it was definitely because he wanted to give Gastly more battle experience. This Geodude was a perfect match.
Yes, that was it.
"Teacher, Geodude might…" Roxanne began, worried.
"I'll give it a try. If all goes well, we'll have it sorted today," Johan replied calmly.
"Really?" Roxanne asked, her face lighting up with hope.
Even Steven seemed surprised.
Sorted today?
Johan didn't elaborate. He simply looked at Geodude and said, "How about a battle?"
"Geodude?"
You?
Geodude glanced at Johan with disdain.
Johan smiled.
Without waiting for Geodude's response, he called out,
"Gastly, give it a greeting. Use Mean Look."
"Ka-kah!"
Gastly's eyes locked onto Geodude's, and with a flash of eerie light, ghostly eyes appeared all around Geodude, staring at it intensely.
Geodude shuddered, startled by the chilling gaze.
Its irritation boiled over.
"Geodude!"
It shouted angrily, charging at Gastly once more, ready to punch.
"Don't dodge. Use Curse," Johan commanded, stepping back a few paces.
Normal-type attacks couldn't hit Ghost-types like Gastly, and clearly, Geodude hadn't realized that yet.
Gastly laughed darkly, allowing Geodude's punch to pass harmlessly through its misty form. The unsettling laugh echoed in Geodude's mind.
Then, a shadow shot from Gastly and entered Geodude's body. As the curse took hold, Gastly's form flickered slightly, becoming less solid.
Geodude landed, wide-eyed for a moment. Then it relaxed, realizing it hadn't been harmed—yet.
Suddenly, Gastly's face appeared right behind it.
"Ka-kah?"
Its long, red tongue flicked out, brushing Geodude's back. The slimy sensation sent a shiver down Geodude's spine.
Am I poisoned?
Geodude felt weaker, its body not responding properly.
It seemed luck was on Gastly's side—its Lick had paralyzed Geodude on the first try.
After that, things got even easier.
"Gastly, use Confuse Ray."
"Now, Hypnosis."
"And Will-O-Wisp."
As Johan calmly gave his commands, standing off to the side, Steven and Roxanne exchanged glances.
"Roxanne, you didn't… upset Mr. Johan, did you?" Steven asked quietly.
Hearing Johan's calm tone and Gastly's mischievous laughter, Roxanne couldn't help but shiver.
"N-no, I don't think so? But, um, Geodude may have… kind of… offended him…"
The battle—or rather, the one-sided "education"—soon ended.
Roxanne let out a sigh of relief.
Finally, it was over.
Or so she thought.
"Roxanne, do you have a healing spray with you?" Johan asked.
"Y-yes, I do," she replied, somewhat confused.
She looked at her Geodude, now lying on the ground, covered in status effects, having fainted from the accumulated damage. She figured it did need a good healing.
But then Johan added,
"Good. Heal it up… and we'll battle again."
Roxanne: "???"