Logged out?
Staring at the screen for a long while without receiving a response from Mewtwo, Johan gently rubbed his chin in thought.
Did I push too hard?
Johan was confident that he could help Mewtwo understand concepts such as the "id," "ego," and "superego." Only by gaining a clear understanding of these concepts would Mewtwo truly grasp the meaning of "I"—that it's not just a name or a label.
Once Mewtwo understood this, it might realize that while it was indeed unique, every Pokémon in the world had its own distinct qualities. The difference lay only in the magnitude of that uniqueness.
Being a time traveler with foreknowledge of Mewtwo's background, Johan was in a unique position to offer targeted therapy.
It was like shooting an arrow and then drawing the target afterward—it was bound to hit the mark one way or another.
But with Mewtwo logging out so suddenly, Johan felt like he'd thrown a punch only for it to land on soft cotton.
"Forget it." Johan shook his head after sitting there for a while.
Whether Mewtwo could accept his guidance or not, he had already done what a Pokémon psychologist should do.
And surely, Mewtwo, still under Team Rocket's control, wasn't going to track him down via the internet to take revenge, right?
Clearing his thoughts and taking a brief break, Johan led a sneeze-filled Gastly to the training hall.
What Johan didn't know was that his "therapy" had caused Team Rocket, the largest underground force in Kanto and Johto, and its notorious, nigh-unbreachable network, to crash for an entire day!
In Viridian City, within Team Rocket's base…
The dim lighting cast eerie shadows throughout the dark hall, barely illuminating the large red "R" symbol. In the refracted light, a figure could be seen sitting on a chair, stroking the head of a Persian.
Beside him stood a woman in a secretary's uniform and glasses, respectfully giving her report:
"...Boss, that's the general situation. Mewtwo seemed to have accessed the network without anyone's knowledge, but it appears to have been provoked by something, which triggered an explosion of its psychic powers. As a result, the entire Team Rocket network collapsed, and even Porygon couldn't withstand it... The estimated losses—"
"Provoked?" A low, magnetic voice interrupted her.
"Yes. Based on the data retrieved before the system crash, Mewtwo's psychic output reached three times its usual levels, with an unknown upper limit!" As Giovanni's secretary, Domino (aka "Black Tulip") reported the facts clearly.
The hand stroking Persian's back paused.
"Meow…" Persian opened its eyes, puzzled by the sudden stillness.
"Can we trace who Mewtwo contacted?" Giovanni resumed stroking Persian, but his tone carried a sharp edge.
Domino's expression turned awkward. "That might be difficult... Due to Mewtwo's power surge, the network is still down, and much of the critical data was overwritten, nearly wiping the database. So…"
Though the Pokémon League couldn't breach Team Rocket's network, Team Rocket also couldn't easily penetrate the League's systems.
"Wiped?"
Giovanni raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Team Rocket's database could rival the League's, and yet it was full?
Domino pursed her lips, her expression turning odd as she replied awkwardly, "The entire database was filled with the phrase 'Gastly, Gastly.'"
It was as if someone pulled back the covers at night only to find nothing but Gastlys beneath.
Giovanni remained silent for a long time before uttering a single word.
"Investigate."
"Yes, sir!"
"Achoo!"
Back in the training room, Gastly suddenly halted mid-training, letting out a loud sneeze. Immediately, a thick, dark purple gas erupted from its body, drifting toward Johan.
Johan's expression tensed as he hurriedly dodged to the side.
It was the Poison-type move, Smog!
After narrowly avoiding the attack, Johan took a deep breath. Every training session with Gastly seemed to come with its fair share of "accidents." As a result, not only did Gastly need training, but Johan also found himself honing his reflexes. Lately, his dodging skills had become noticeably sharper.
"Ka-kah."
I didn't mean to…
Gastly looked at Johan with wide, guilty eyes.
(｡•́︿•̀｡)
"If you had hidden that 'oops' expression a little better, I might've believed you," Johan said with an exasperated sigh as he dusted off his clothes.
"Ka-kah—"
Gastly sighed internally. Being the Pokémon of a psychology expert was tough—nothing escaped Johan's eyes.
But Gastly truly hadn't meant it. It was just confused about why it had been sneezing so much today.
"Alright, it looks like you're not in the best shape today. We'll stop for now—training should be done in moderation."
Johan pulled out a shimmering purple energy cube.
"Ka-kah!"
Upon seeing the energy cube, Gastly instantly forgot all its troubles, devouring it with delight and showing a satisfied grin.
With training done, Johan decided to leave work early.
After all, the academy didn't strictly monitor when teachers clocked in or out. He'd heard that Professor Cozmo next door disappeared for two or three days at a time, and no one bothered him. In fact, many teachers at the academy took on side jobs to earn extra income. For example, some of the battle instructors worked as coaches at battle clubs, where they earned far more than their teaching salaries.
However, instead of heading straight home, Johan took Gastly to the center of Rustboro City.
They were almost out of energy cubes, and it was time to stock up. Plus, they needed more groceries for the house, so Johan decided to do a bulk shopping trip.
Taking Gastly out shopping wasn't an easy task.
Having slept for nearly a thousand years, everything in Gastly's eyes was new and fascinating. Whether it was poking around here or investigating there, Gastly could cause damage Johan couldn't afford to pay for.
Calming down the lively Gastly wasn't easy either.
In the end, Johan had to pay a hefty price of three energy cubes just to get through a relatively peaceful shopping trip.
And the constant "Ka-kah Ka-kah" ringing in his ears wasn't exactly helping either.
Still, things went relatively smoothly.
When Johan finally left the energy cube shop, his wallet significantly lighter, he at least had enough food to keep Gastly fed for two weeks.
Though, in all honesty, Johan doubted it would last the full two weeks.
Last time, he had calculated the amount of cubes needed for two weeks, but Gastly devoured it all in just one.
Gastly's appetite was far larger than he had anticipated.
Even with the increased supply, Johan wasn't sure how long it would last.
"Sigh—" Johan sighed heavily outside the shop. "I really need to find a way to make more money."
"Ahhhh!!!!"
Suddenly, a sharp scream echoed through the street, drawing the attention of passersby.
A masked man darted toward a woman, snatching her purse in one swift motion. He quickly jumped onto a waiting motorcycle, preparing to speed away with his accomplice.
Many onlookers, startled by the commotion, prepared to intervene, but it was clear the robbers had planned their escape meticulously and wouldn't be easily stopped.
At that moment, a voice sounded as if spoken right into Johan's ear.
"Metagross, use Psychic!"
A familiar figure appeared in Johan's line of sight.
And that figure seemed to notice him as well.
"Steven?"
"Johan-sensei?"