Lavaridge Town.
As the night deepened, a thin mist meandered through the starry sky, sometimes stretching across the distant veil, at other times forming elusive illusions, like the ever-changing Pokémon. The courtyard, with its winding paths, isolated the noise of the outside world, creating a serene atmosphere. In the backyard, an open-air hot spring, accompanied by the gentle sound of flowing water, stirred a ripple of tranquility in one's heart.
Johan, wrapped in a white bath towel around his waist, slowly stepped into the warm waters.
Steven was already lazily lounging in the hot spring, his arms stretched out as he leaned against the stone edge of the pool. A neatly folded towel rested atop his head.
In the end, Steven, Roxanne, and Flannery's plan to sneak into the mountains was thwarted by Johan's victory over Flannery, putting an end to their escape attempt.
As for soaking in the hot springs, that had always been part of the planned itinerary. However, it wasn't quite the mixed-gender bath Johan had imagined.
On one side of the pool where Johan and Steven soaked stood a wooden partition. On the other side, Roxanne and Flannery were enjoying the hot spring.
Splash, splash—
As the hot water reached his abdomen, Johan felt the "magic" of the hot spring as all his fatigue seemed to melt away.
The rising steam, mingling with the mist, outlined the vague, dreamlike image of a handsome youth bathing.
"Mr. Johan?"
Hearing the movement, Steven opened his eyes slowly, briefly dazed before quickly regaining his focus.
Johan leaned his head back against the smooth stones at the pool's edge, allowing his body to become buoyant in the water, feeling light and somewhat dizzy, as if floating on air.
He waved his hand dismissively, cutting off Steven's words.
"Steven, we're not that far apart in age, right?"
Hearing this, Steven paused, then nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, you're only two years older than me. You completed a four-year university program in just three years, finished the six-year advanced academy in five years, and as for the primary academy…"
Are you checking my background?
You know so much.
"So, when it's just us, there's no need to be so formal. Just call me by my name," Johan interrupted him again.
"...Johan?" Steven hesitated briefly before trying out the name.
"Hmm." Johan lazily hummed in response, eyes half-closed.
A teacher must learn to connect with students, to bridge gaps between them.
This was especially true for a psychologist and their "patients."
Of course, this wasn't influenced by Steven's status or the fact that he probably didn't even realize just how wealthy his family was. At least, that wasn't the main reason.
"By the way," Johan continued, "Lavaridge Town's hot springs are quite famous, aren't they? Why is it that this place, which seems pretty decent, is so empty with only us here... Don't tell me you bought the place?"
Hearing this, Steven chuckled and shook his head. "Not exactly."
But before Johan could speak again, Steven added, "The nearby properties are already owned by my family."
Johan: "..."
He raised his hand and gave a thumbs-up.
Well, that made things easier.
"Gastly," Johan called out.
Splash!
Suddenly, the once calm surface of the water erupted as Gastly shot up from the hot spring.
With a mischievous grin plastered on its face, Gastly declared, "Ka-kah!"
Gastly evolves into... Ghost-Damp?
Johan & Steven: "..."
But Johan quickly sat upright in alarm, "Wait, aren't you soaking in water? You're made of poisonous gas!"
"Ka-kah?"
Gastly: Σ(°ロ°)
After a brief episode of chaos...
Steven and Johan now sat on the edge of the pool, with Gastly sheepishly floating nearby.
Fortunately, since Gastly could control its poison, no harm was done despite being submerged in the water.
"Since we're at it, let's bring everyone out," Steven said, tossing a few Poké Balls into the air.
In an instant, his shiny Metagross, Lairon, Skarmory, and Claydol materialized.
However, Lairon and Claydol, being Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon, instinctively recoiled from the water, and as a bird Pokémon, Skarmory didn't seem too fond of soaking in a hot spring either.
In the end, only Metagross and Gastly joined them in the water.
But both Johan and Steven were slightly on edge, repeatedly warning their Pokémon.
Control the poison (or the electromagnetic field).
Finally, the hot spring grew calm once more.
"Groooooss," Metagross grumbled, apparently feeling little from the experience.
"Ka-kah?" (What? Look at this.)
Gastly dove back into the water, blowing bubbles with a "gurgle, gurgle."
Metagross glanced over at the Pokémon on the sidelines—Lairon and Skarmory.
Anyone wanna play with it?
Lairon and Skarmory simultaneously turned to Claydol.
Claydol: (ーー)
Seeing the Pokémon having a lively chat, Johan took the opportunity to relax. He leaned against the edge of the pool and pulled out his phone. Soon enough, he noticed a message from his client, "Eevee Eats Cabbage."
[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: Alright, I've made the Pokéblocks. Feebas really likes them, and its condition seems to have improved a bit, though it's still shy around other Pokémon.
[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: This may sound a bit forward, but could you help with some psychological therapy?
Psychological therapy?
If it were something like Mewtwo's case, it wouldn't be impossible, but for Feebas?
Was he supposed to have Feebas type?
Even video chats might not work—he'd probably need to use Hypnosis to conduct any psychological intervention.
[Grain in the Field]: Apologies, I have other work commitments, so...
A face-to-face meeting?
That's a bit risky.
Who knew what kind of person was really behind the cute username? For all he knew, it could be some creepy guy.
As someone who remembered their past life, Johan was very cautious about such things.
Since "Eevee Eats Cabbage" was offline, Johan's message didn't get an immediate response.
However, besides that, he received a message from another user.
[Number Wizard]: Poké Balls are a form of restraint on Pokémon, preventing them from achieving their full existence and happiness. I believe that Pokémon and humans should live separately—Pokémon in their own world, and humans behind the walls of their steel cities!
For some reason, seeing this message gave Johan a strange sense of déjà vu.
But then his thoughts returned to the question at hand.
Were captured Pokémon truly unhappy?
Johan glanced at the hot spring.
Floating on the surface, basking in the mist, was Gastly, who had fashioned a wooden tray to hold a bottle of MooMoo Milk. Several straws connected from the bottle directly to Gastly's mouth…
Was Gastly unhappy?
Nearby, Steven, wrapped in a towel, was scrubbing Lairon's back. Sparkling white suds covered his face as both he and Lairon wore matching smiles.
Metagross and Skarmory were waiting their turn.
Were they unhappy?
Not really.
Granted, there were indeed unhappy Pokémon in this world, but they were the exception rather than the rule.
'This is classic idealism, where someone's personal experience is projected onto everyone else, and they believe they need to build a "utopia" for all.'
Johan didn't reject this person's ideas outright, though. Their intentions were good—they wanted to protect Pokémon. It was just that their experiences had skewed their perspective.
Stubbornness.
Johan sighed.
A preconceived notion like this was the hardest to change.
Even if he presented the real "truth," if it didn't match what this person wanted, they would simply reject it.
So, the best approach in such cases was not to directly oppose them. If you did, they wouldn't listen to a word you said.
Instead, you had to see things from their point of view, stand where they stood, and earn their trust. Only then could you present them with the true "reality" and perhaps help them see their "ideal world" more clearly.
After thinking it over for a while, Johan finally responded.
[Grain in the Field]: If you come across Pokémon that are being mistreated, please do your best to save them. To those Pokémon, you might be the only light in their dark world—their hero.
After sending the message, Johan set his phone aside and sighed once more.
"Ka-kah?"
Noticing Johan's shift in mood, Gastly floated over, spitting out the straw it had been sipping from.
What's wrong?
Johan shook his head.
It was hard to imagine what someone must have gone through to develop such extreme ideas. His thoughts grew heavier.
"Ka-kah!"
The mist around Gastly shifted, transforming into a pair of clamshells, followed by sharp spikes extending out…
Gastly Cloyster mode!
"Pfft—"
Seeing Gastly perfectly imitate Cloyster, Johan couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Ka-kah-kah~~"
Gastly joined in, laughing alongside him.
Though its laugh was a bit creepy.
Steven, drawn by the sound of their laughter, couldn't help but remark, "Johan, you and Gastly have such a great bond."
Boom!!
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed, accompanied by the startled screams of Roxanne and Flannery.