"Pfhh—!"
At the Fallarbor Gym, Drake spat out the warm, sugary milk he had been drinking, spraying it all over the face of the man sitting across from him—none other than former Elite Four member, Mulder.
Mulder stared, wide-eyed in shock, as veins of irritation bulged on his forehead.
"Hahaha—this kid," Drake laughed, completely unfazed by what he'd done.
Mulder, wiping his face, caught a glimpse of what Drake had been holding. "Reimbursement form? Since when are you handling finances?"
"No, Brawly handles that," Drake replied.
Hearing this, Mulder sighed in relief.
Back when he was still an Elite Four member, part of his job was overseeing the League's finances. Being a rather meticulous person, he and Drake often butted heads over reimbursement requests. If Drake were in charge of Hoenn's finances now, Mulder imagined the region's economy would be in shambles.
"The Chairman doesn't let me near the finances," Drake said, sipping his warm, sugary milk again.
Mulder gave him a long, thoughtful look.
"The Chairman's right," he muttered.
Everyone within the League knew of Drake's infamous nickname among the higher-ups: "The Reimbursement King!"
"You don't understand a thing," Drake said, glancing sideways at Mulder. "Do you even know how hard our investigators work? You have no idea what they witness every day."
"Take this incident with Camerupt, for example. It became like that for no apparent reason—don't you think it's pitiful? If we don't apply for enough subsidies, who knows if it can even survive once it's returned to the wild?"
Mulder fell silent.
Of course, he knew Drake well after working alongside him for decades. And it was true that League investigators had one of the toughest jobs—constantly on their feet, dealing with problems no ordinary person could imagine.
That's why, back when Mulder was in charge of the finances, he never truly held back the money or supplies Drake requested, even though his reimbursement forms were always rather… extravagant.
"Print 50 copies of this reimbursement form," Drake handed the form to a nearby assistant dressed in a sailor's uniform.
"From now on, fill them out according to this template."
"Yes, Drake!" the assistant nodded.
Thus, the field trip that had caused Johan some concern finally came to an end.
Despite the unexpected situation with Camerupt, the overall impact had been minimal. In fact, it had landed Johan a nice side job, opening up a new income stream.
After handing in the final attendance sheet, Johan and a few other teachers watched the students leave one by one.
Some were riding Dodrios, arguing as they ran. Others were riding Ponytas, leaving trails of sparks in their wake. A few even rode Rhyhorns, which weren't exactly faster than walking…
Now that Johan thought about it, once Gastly evolved into Gengar, maybe it could ride on an Alolan Raticate like Acerola.
Sensing his "evil intent," Gastly suddenly let out a loud shriek.
"Ka-kah, Ka-kah!"
What's that look in your eyes? So wicked!
"Ahem, nothing, just thought of something funny."
Once the students had all left, Johan headed home with Gastly.
Upon reaching their apartment complex, they noticed a large orange Pokémon sitting idly by the old flowerbed at the bottom of the stairs. It was resting its small arms against its head, looking utterly bored.
Chubby!
Ahem, no, it was a Dragonite!
A pseudo-legendary Pokémon from Kanto!
If Johan's neighborhood weren't so run-down and remote, a Dragonite appearing here would definitely have attracted a crowd.
The Dragonite noticed Johan approaching and perked up, rummaging through its satchel for something.
Finally, it pulled out a crumpled photo, carefully smoothing it out with its pudgy claws. After comparing the photo to Johan, Dragonite gave a satisfied nod.
"Booh~~"
It's him, no doubt.
Dragonite waddled over to Johan and fished out a package from its bag.
"Is this for me?" Johan asked.
"Booh~~"
Dragonite nodded.
Johan glanced at the package and realized what it was—it was the reimbursement items he had requested.
He hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly.
As he accepted the package, Johan handed Dragonite a few energy cubes in thanks.
Dragonite's earlier annoyance vanished instantly, and it happily tossed the cubes into its mouth.
Dragonite: (´～｀)
Waving goodbye, Dragonite flapped its wings and flew off in an instant.
"No wonder they call it the Dragon-type Elite Four member's Pokémon—he even uses Dragonite to deliver packages," Johan remarked as he watched the Dragonite disappear into the sky.
Gastly, however, looked confused.
"Ka-kah?"
How does something with such small wings fly so fast?
"Uh."
That was a tough question to answer, so Johan quickly changed the subject.
"Come on, let's open the package!"
"Ka-kah!"
Gastly's attention immediately shifted.
New phone! New phone! New phone!
Excited, it zoomed up the stairs.
Though it was just a small package, it seemed to utilize some form of spatial technology. Inside were boxes of energy cubes, crates of Moomoo Milk, various berries, medicine, Poké Balls…
So many items that they couldn't even fit on the table and were spread out across the floor.
"Ka-kah—Ka-kah—"
Gastly gleefully rolled around in the energy cubes and Moomoo Milk, clutching a brand-new phone.
Gastly: (▽)
Johan also opened his new phone and logged into his League account.
The first thing he checked was his paper.
The hype around his published paper had finally started to die down, though it was still trending near the top.
After skimming through some of the other research papers, Johan began to analyze the current trends in the world of Pokémon research. While his paper was still gaining attention, he figured it would be a good time to capitalize on the momentum and publish another one.
If the League noticed, he might even receive an official researcher's certificate soon, bypassing the need to go through the Trainer registration process.
As he scrolled, Johan casually asked, "Gastly, do you enjoy training? Do you enjoy battling?"
"Ka-kah?"
Gastly, who had been rolling around on the floor, stopped and looked at Johan in surprise. But with the phone blocking its view, it couldn't see Johan's eyes.
In truth, Johan had wanted to ask this question for a long time.
When he first captured Gastly, he immediately started training it.
Part of this was due to the pressure of being followed.
Another part came from Johan's own subconscious belief that Pokémon were meant to be trained and to battle.
But after spending so much time with Gastly, he suddenly realized he'd never asked for Gastly's opinion.
After the Camerupt incident, Johan had come to understand that many Pokémon had simple desires. Some only wanted to enjoy happy times with their families and friends.
Gastly, still holding a bottle of Moomoo Milk, floated over and gently patted Johan's forehead with its misty hand.
"Ka-kah?"
No fever. Got your period?
Johan's expression darkened.
"Ka-kah, Ka-kah—"
Laughing loudly, Gastly patted Johan on the shoulder, gazing dramatically into the distance.
With my unmatched talent and limitless potential, should I spend my days at home breathing coal gas? Think bigger! Our goal is—
Johan didn't let Gastly finish but got the message loud and clear.
Sighing in relief, he replied, "Alright then, let's stick to the original plan—double the training tomorrow."
"Ka-kaah?!"
Gastly was shocked.
Why do I feel like I just walked into a trap of my own making?
Johan chuckled.
"Ka-kah!!"
Seeing Johan laugh so heartily, Gastly growled in frustration. Its body puffed up, and it lunged at him.
Thud!
Both Johan and Gastly tumbled to the floor.
"Stop! Don't lick! It's Toxic! This time it's Toxic!..."