Lavaridge Town.
Not far from the restaurant stood a rather remote, somewhat dilapidated battle arena.
As Flannery gazed at the old arena, her eyes reflected a bit of nostalgia.
She had many fond memories here.
However, she quickly put aside her sentimentality, her enthusiasm surging as she returned to being the "girl burning with passion."
Others might not have noticed this shift, but Johan certainly did.
Come to think of it, whether in the original story or in what he knew of Flannery, apart from mentioning her grandfather, she rarely, if ever, spoke about her parents.
"Mr. Johan, I won't hold back!" Flannery declared, full of energy.
On the sidelines, Steven and Roxanne exchanged concerned looks over Flannery's "situation."
For a trainer like Flannery, who let emotions rule over reason, it seemed like she was about to face her worst possible opponent—someone like Johan, a Pokémon psychologist.
If Flannery had chosen to use her strongest Pokémon, perhaps she could rely on sheer strength to win. But...
"Ka-kah, hic—Ka-kah?"
Floating before Johan, Gastly let out a burp and turned to him with a questioning look.
Can't I just take her out right away?
"You can try," Johan replied, his eye twitching slightly before he added, "but be ready to face a former Elite Four member afterward."
"Ka-kah!"
Gastly: (°ロ°)
At that moment, Flannery threw out a Poké Ball, and in a flash of red light, a Pokémon appeared on the field.
It resembled a black dog, with prominent bone-like structures on its back, head, and ankles, giving the once-cute creature a more menacing look. Its belly and muzzle were orange, and a short, stubby tail extended behind it.
It was a Dark- and Fire-type Pokémon—Houndour!
Seeing this Pokémon, both Steven and Roxanne were a bit surprised.
They had expected Flannery to send out her Numel, a recently captured Pokémon as well.
However, Numel, a Fire- and Ground-type, would have been at a disadvantage against Gastly, but Houndour, with its Dark and Fire attributes... now that was a clear advantage.
After all, Gastly, being both Ghost- and Poison-type, was weak to Dark-type moves—Houndour's specialty.
Moreover, if Flannery's Houndour had the "Early Bird" ability, it would give her an even greater edge!
With such a lineup, there might actually be a chance for her to win!
After all, Mr. Johan wasn't a professional trainer, and he likely didn't have much battle experience. If he only had theoretical knowledge...
Flannery grinned excitedly. Being emotional didn't necessarily mean being foolish.
Steven took a deep breath and called out, "Let the battle begin!"
Flannery dramatically pointed her arm, directing her Houndour.
"Houndour, Bite!"
"Arf!!"
Houndour barked fiercely, its four legs moving swiftly as dark, sinister energy began to swirl around its still-developing fangs.
At the same time, in Johan's vision, Houndour's stats appeared before him.
[Houndour]
[Type: Dark, Fire]
[Ability: Flash Fire]
[Moves: Leer, Ember, Howl, Smog, Roar, Bite, Fire Spin, Fire Fang]
[Mood: Excited, Worried (I have a bad feeling about this...)]
[Condition: Excellent (Well-trained, in peak condition)]
[Friendship: 5 (Has some goodwill toward humans because of Flannery)]
"Gastly, use Scary Face," Johan calmly instructed, his voice even.
Though Gastly had been lazily floating around just moments ago, the Pokémon instantly snapped into focus, as if the previous lethargy had been a ruse.
As a gas-type Pokémon, Gastly was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, its body swelled like a balloon, transforming into a giant, grotesque face.
"Ka-kah!"
The eerie laugh echoed as dark mist twisted and shifted, unsettling the young Houndour.
Johan sighed internally.
Why did trainers of Dark-type Pokémon always insist on opening with "Bite"?
Did they really believe type advantage determined everything?
This wasn't a game, and move accuracy wasn't just based on hit rates or evasion stats.
Did they think the opponent wouldn't exploit their weaknesses?
Though flustered, Houndour still managed to snap its jaws shut.
Bang!
Teeth clashed with teeth, and black mist seeped through the gaps.
All it had bitten was a small wisp of the gaseous body Gastly had inflated into a giant face.
On the sidelines, Steven and Roxanne exchanged a glance.
Earlier, when Flannery had made the first move, Johan had responded almost simultaneously with his command. This allowed Gastly, with its eerie Scary Face move, to capitalize on the timing and shake Houndour's confidence.
Simultaneous commands...
Could it be that Johan had predicted Flannery's strategy from the start?
Was he reading her moves ahead of time?
Could this really be the teacher with little battle experience?
Or was this the tactical prowess of a Pokémon psychologist?
They had expected Johan to rely on Gastly's tricky (and frankly, annoying) moves to gain the upper hand. But to think it would play out like this...
"Use Curse."
Pokémon battles weren't turn-based, so with Houndour having missed its attack, Johan wouldn't let this opening slip by.
"Ka-kah—"
Gastly let out a sinister laugh as an invisible, eerie energy seemed to sink into Houndour's body, planting a seed of dread that quickly began to grow.
"Houndour, we need to finish this fast!" Flannery ordered, her expression turning serious. She was clearly aware of Curse's effects.
She waved her arm again.
"Use Leer! Then charge in!"
"Gastly, Hypnosis."
Once again, their voices rang out nearly simultaneously.
Houndour widened its eyes menacingly, trying to intimidate its opponent. However...
What happens when you open your eyes wide in front of Hypnosis?
Houndour's body trembled, and after taking a few shaky steps forward, it collapsed onto the ground, fast asleep.
"Get up! Houndour!" Flannery's face flushed red as she shouted.
Johan stared at the fallen Houndour for a few moments.
When the energy of the Curse began to sap away some of Houndour's strength, with no sign of it waking up, Johan finally relaxed a little.
Thank goodness.
Clearly, the bond between Flannery and her Houndour wasn't strong enough to break Hypnosis with just a command.
To be honest, Johan hadn't realized until this battle just how much he feared trainers like Flannery—the kind that didn't play by the rules, yet somehow managed to break the norm.
The only way to handle such trainers was with someone even more unpredictable.
Like... a Water-absorbing Charizard.
"It's over," Johan declared, calling an end to the battle.
"We haven't even—" Flannery tried to protest.
"Gastly."
"Ka-kah~~"
In response, Gastly unleashed a rapid series of moves—Confuse Ray, Lick, Scary Face, Will-O-Wisp, Smog...
Flannery's words died in her throat.
A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.
"You should call Houndour back before Curse affects it any more. Otherwise, you'll be heading straight to the Pokémon Center," Johan advised calmly, as Gastly floated lazily back to his side.
Meeting Johan's gaze, Gastly blinked and whispered in a low voice.
"Ka-kah~~"
Don't worry, I used the regular Hypnosis.
Gastly: I'm not that dumb. You said her grandpa is a former Elite Four member.
Johan nodded in relief.
He didn't want Houndour to develop any psychological issues. Otherwise, he'd have to be the one to treat it.
"We lost..." Flannery reluctantly accepted the outcome.
But Johan's interest had been piqued—not so much in Flannery herself, but in trainers like her, the ones who were more emotional than logical.
It was clear that Flannery and Houndour still had a ways to go in terms of teamwork. There was a noticeable gap between her commands and her Pokémon's actions. Johan was curious to see if, after more bonding, they might break through some of the usual limits.
After all, that was a key area of research for his predecessor.
As the battle ended, Steven and Roxanne walked over.
Roxanne tried to console Flannery, but to her surprise, Flannery wasn't nearly as devastated as expected. She quickly regained her enthusiasm.
Looking at Johan, she beamed, "Mr. Johan, I'll challenge you again next time!"
Johan: "..."
Great, the "intelligence" level is still going up.