"Ka-kah!"
Gastly suddenly popped its head out from behind Johan, wearing a fierce expression.
Normally, Johan was used to Gastly's mischievous jumpscares, but this time, he paused for a moment. Gastly wasn't just pulling a usual prank—it had transformed into a vampire-like appearance. Although only its head was visible, black mist formed the shape of a cape around it, and its sharp, crimson fangs gleamed, looking incredibly familiar.
"Wait... are those... Seviper's fangs?"
"Ka-kah~~"
Gastly floated with a smug expression, clearly proud of its spoils.
Johan couldn't help but smile, both amused and exasperated.
"Although Seviper's fangs will grow back, you really went and pulled them out?"
Apparently, Gastly had taken Seviper's most prized possessions—its venomous fangs, which were crucial for its attacks and venom delivery. The fangs also carried potent toxins.
Seviper, which would have normally hidden for a few months to recover from the trauma, would now need even more time to regenerate its fangs. After all, it had lost its "weapons."
"You better not poison yourself while you're at it."
"Ka-kah!"
Gastly flashed a look of "how could that happen?" After all, it was a Poison-type Pokémon, not some other species vulnerable to poison.
Johan knew this, of course, so his warning was more playful than serious. Besides, Gastly had a quadruple resistance to poison.
"Ka-kah, Ka-kah—"
Gastly floated around in front of Johan, the black mist surrounding it swirling with energy.
Huh?
What's going on?
Suddenly, Johan heard a strange slurping sound coming from Gastly, as if it were slurping jelly, followed by a few chewing noises. It sounded like Gastly was munching on something soft and gooey.
Johan's expression turned a little odd.
Did Gastly just... eat the venom from Seviper's fangs?
"Ka-kah!"
After a couple more slurps and a satisfied gulp, Gastly's wide eyes lit up with excitement.
Surprisingly tasty!
But Gastly wasn't done. After savoring the venom for a moment, it started to channel its move Haze, with purple streaks of venom coursing through the black mist around it.
However, instead of expelling the Haze into the air, Gastly condensed it into the severed fangs.
At that moment, small black-and-purple bubbles appeared at the tips of the crimson fangs, and thick drops of venom dripped onto the ground, sizzling as they burned small holes into the stone path beneath them.
"Ka-kah!"
Gastly grinned broadly and waggled its eyebrows at Johan, clearly showing off its improved venom.
Johan, surprised by this development, stopped in his tracks and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Not bad... compressing the venom into the fangs has made it much stronger," he said, impressed. Then he asked Gastly, "Did you use the Toxic Orb?"
"Ka-kah?"
Gastly blinked innocently.
Nope.
Johan nodded slightly, talking to himself as he pieced it together.
"Even if Gastly compressed Haze into a liquid form, the toxicity shouldn't be this potent. Is it because of the fangs? Or is it the result of ingesting Seviper's venom?"
Curious, Johan gave Gastly another instruction. "Try using the Toxic Orb's effect this time."
Although confused, Gastly followed Johan's request. It wiggled its tongue for a moment, then pulled out the deep purple Toxic Orb it had stashed away. With a few licks, Gastly reabsorbed the orb back into its body and then began to charge Haze again.
This time, as the venom dripped from the fangs, the drops became even thicker and darker, and the poison's corrosive strength was visibly more intense.
The experiment was a success. Johan's eyes brightened with realization.
Perhaps they really could use this method to train Gastly to master Toxic!
With this thought, Johan quickened his pace toward Mauville City.
"Ka-kah—"
Noticing Johan speeding up, Gastly quickly caught up.
Why are we running?
Johan cast a glance behind them, eyeing the deep black scorch marks left by the toxic drops on the stone path.
If we don't run, we're going to get caught!
Understanding Johan's glance, Gastly immediately flew ahead, adopting an innocent expression as if to say, "It wasn't me, I swear!"
But soon, Gastly had a mischievous thought, and a sly grin crossed its face. It floated back to Johan and asked with a playful glint in its eyes:
"Ka-kah-ka-kah?"
By the way, how long will it take for Seviper's fangs to grow back?
Back at the Mauville City Pokémon Center, Johan approached Nurse Joy.
Due to the incident at Mt. Chimney and the academy's arrangements, Johan, who was not yet a registered Pokémon trainer with the League, was finally able to have Gastly undergo a proper Pokémon health check—for free, of course.
Johan stood outside the large glass window, watching as Gastly, looking rather confused, was guided by Nurse Joy and Chansey through a series of advanced medical instruments. He couldn't help but smile.
Gastly, despite having experienced technology like computers and phones under Johan's guidance, was clearly bewildered by the large, high-tech machines in front of it.
But beneath Johan's amusement, there was also a hint of worry that he couldn't quite hide.
Gastly had been asleep for so long... has it fully recovered?
Has my training been appropriate, or could it have left hidden problems?
What if the checkup reveals something concerning?
Gastly has eaten so many strange things—could it be feeling unwell?
Inside the examination room, Gastly, though used to gadgets like phones, found these medical instruments far more intimidating.
Its confusion and unease were genuine.
But whenever Gastly looked up and saw Johan through the glass window, standing calmly outside, it felt reassured.
And besides...
"Gastly, we'll move to this machine next, okay? Be careful not to bump into anything," Nurse Joy said in her soft, gentle voice.
"Ka-kah—"
Mmm, Nurse Joy smells really nice...
Gastly's eyes sparkled as it obediently followed her instructions.
Seeing that Gastly was cooperating well and that Nurse Joy showed no signs of concern, Johan let out a small sigh of relief and pulled out his phone, which had buzzed several times during the checkup.
[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: If it's because you're busy, no worries. I can come find you. You're in the Hoenn region, right?
[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: Feebas is looking much better these past few days, but something feels off today. (Video.mp4)
Meeting in person?
No, no, no.
We're just Internet buddies.
Johan opened the video message.
In just a few days, Feebas's scales had become noticeably more vibrant compared to before, but...
[Grain in the Field]: Have you considered that Feebas may just be having digestive issues from overeating?
Not only had Feebas become shinier, but it also seemed to have gained some weight. That detail might not be obvious to someone who sees Feebas every day.
[Grain in the Field]: Also, try not to keep Feebas with too many other Water-type Pokémon. It's likely feeling self-conscious after just beginning to overcome its insecurities... and it might be having trouble finding a private bathroom.
The door to the examination room slid open, and Johan pocketed his phone.
"Ka-kah~~"
Gastly floated toward him, happy as ever.
"Johan, your Gastly is in excellent condition," Nurse Joy said with a warm smile.
"Thank you." Johan exhaled deeply, relieved.
"However, try not to feed it too much for now. It might be experiencing some indigestion."
"Uh..." Johan glanced at Gastly, who looked completely baffled. "Got it."
"Oh, and one more thing."
Just as Johan was about to thank her again and leave, Nurse Joy called out to him.
"Your Camerupt has woken up, and coincidentally, Elite Four member Genji has arrived in Mauville City. He hopes you can assist in the investigation."
"Okay, wait..."
Elite Four member Genji?!