Splash.
Johan shook the rain off his umbrella and quickly stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.
"Phew—"
He let out a long sigh of relief and glanced over at Gastly.
"Ka-kah, Ka-kah."
Noticing Johan's gaze, Gastly stiffened slightly, then shifted its eyes away nonchalantly. If it could whistle, it probably would have done so by now.
Did he notice?
Maybe not...
Gastly was still worried that Johan might have found out it had snuck back to give that guy from Greater Mauville Holdings some extra nightmares. But Johan's voice soon interrupted its thoughts, "Gastly, well done."
In truth, Johan had seen Gastly sneak back, but since it wasn't anything too serious, he didn't mind.
"Ka-kah."
Not too bad...
It was the first time Johan had seen this little troublemaker look so embarrassed.
With a smile, he said, "I'm going to change into dry clothes," before heading off to his room.
Though the rain hadn't been heavy, thanks to the encounter with Daiki from Greater Mauville Holdings, his clothes had gotten pretty soaked.
"Ka-kah~~"
Seeing that Johan wasn't mad, Gastly let out a sigh of relief.
Before long, Johan returned, now wearing dry clothes and tying on an apron as he headed into the kitchen.
In just a short while, two steaming bowls of noodle soup were placed on the table.
"Ka-kah!"
Gastly's eyes lit up as it saw the simple yet aromatic noodle soup. It eagerly floated over to the table, calling out excitedly while waiting for Johan to sit down.
Ψ(￣￣)Ψ
Even though it now had energy cubes to eat, Gastly still loved the food Johan made.
Plus, with Johan's current financial situation, he couldn't afford to let Gastly treat energy cubes like daily meals. Regular food was still part of its diet.
"Since we got caught in the rain, drink some hot soup to warm up."
As soon as Johan sat down, Gastly wasted no time, grabbing a fork and shoveling noodles into its mouth.
"Ka-kah?!"
But after taking a bite, Gastly immediately realized something was off.
It's spicy!
It panted, mouth open, looking at Johan as if to ask, Did you mistake chili for salt?!
Johan, unfazed, replied, "I added ginger. I told you, it's to warm up, so you don't catch a cold."
"Ka-kah!!"
Gastly's eyes widened like saucers.
A ghost catching a cold? Seriously?
But Johan wouldn't back down. "You may be a Ghost-type Pokémon, but you're still a Pokémon, not a real ghost. Any Pokémon can get sick. Now finish it, and don't waste the soup!"
"Ka—kah—"
Gastly groaned, dragging out the sound in defeat.
Gulp, gulp—
Despite the spice, the taste was actually pretty good, so Gastly quickly polished off the noodles and soup. Afterward, whether it was the ginger or something else, it felt a comforting warmth in its core.
"Ka-kah~~"
Gastly: ()
After dinner, Johan and Gastly relaxed on the sofa.
Johan held the rough stone Gastly had once slept in, examining it, while Gastly was glued to the computer screen, watching a Pokémon battle with eager eyes, licking its tongue in anticipation.
"So, what's the secret behind this stone that's got the remnants of Greater Mauville Holdings so fixated? And how did they even know Professor Cozmo found it?"
While the immediate danger had passed, Johan still couldn't relax until he figured out the mystery of the stone.
Besides, his curiosity was now piqued.
"A fossil?"
That was his initial guess.
But why would an energy company like Greater Mauville Holdings care about a fossil?
"You know what, maybe I should just crack it open."
After mulling it over for a while, Johan, who knew next to nothing about rocks, came to a decision.
If it was a fossil, breaking it might lower its value but wouldn't ruin its essential qualities. If it wasn't a fossil... well, then who knows?
"Ka-kah ka-kah—Ka-kah?!"
Gastly had been half-heartedly agreeing, but suddenly its tone jumped an octave. It stared at Johan in shock.
Crack what? The stone?!
"Ka-kah ka-kah."
Gastly's head shook back and forth like a bobblehead.
No, no, no.
Johan didn't argue. He raised three fingers.
"Three energy cubes."
"Ka-kah..."
Gastly hesitated, but after a brief pause, shook its head even more vigorously.
Nope, still not enough!
To Johan, this might just be a valuable rock, but to Gastly, it was the place where it had slept for nearly a thousand years.
It wasn't just a rock—it was its bed, its home.
Its only "possession," really.
More money!
Seeing Gastly's refusal, Johan furrowed his brow slightly.
He raised two more fingers.
"Five cubes. That's my final offer."
Gulp—
Gastly swallowed hard.
Its eyes darted toward the kitchen, where a new idea formed.
"Ka-kah!"
It pointed toward the kitchen and called out.
And you have to take me in there too!
Johan's face darkened, and he let out a deep breath.
"One minute. That's the max. Or the deal's off."
"Ka-kah!"
Deal!
Gastly: ˙˙
Satisfied with the terms, Gastly grinned mischievously and waved its misty arm, signaling Johan to go ahead and crack it open.
Soon, Johan and Gastly were on the balcony.
Johan placed the stone on the ground, holding it steady with one hand while lightly tapping it with a hammer.
Tock tock, tock tock—
However, the stone was tougher than expected. It barely moved under the hammer's strikes.
"Ka-kah!"
Come on! Use your strength! Didn't you eat?
Johan shot Gastly a look and swung the hammer harder.
Bang! Crack!
This time, the stone emitted a sharp cracking sound, with small fragments breaking off and a web of fine cracks forming across the surface.
Johan quickly picked it up, while Gastly eagerly floated over to inspect the crack.
The once-solid stone now had a noticeable split in the center, revealing something within.
"Ka-kah!"
There's something inside?
Gastly was shocked. It had lived in the stone for years and never noticed.
They hurried back to the desk.
Johan turned on the desk lamp, casting a bright light onto the stone's contents. A faint glow reflected from within the stone.
Through the crack, Johan and Gastly could make out a small, transparent sphere, almost like a glass marble.
Inside the sphere was something—red and purple, twisted like a leaf or a spiral.
"This is..."
Johan's eyes widened in surprise, recognition dawning on his face.
"Ka-kah."
Gastly had a similar look, though it also felt an inexplicable pull toward the object, as if it held some strange allure for it.
It looked to Johan, hoping he would know what this was.
Tsk tsk tsk—
Johan, to confirm his suspicions, gently brushed away the remaining layers of rock.
Soon, the mysterious sphere was fully revealed.
The transparent orb glowed softly with red light and a faint purple hue.
Johan leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly.
"It really is a Mega Stone..."