Location: Kanto Region
Viridian City, an old training ground.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
A massive column of flames erupted, with terrifyingly intense fire that seemed blinding even in daylight.
"Roar!!"
However, within the blaze, a greyish-white Aerodactyl flapped its wings, tearing through the flames, paying no mind to the burning heat as it charged straight at the Charizard.
In response, the Charizard showed no fear, standing its ground and planting its feet in preparation to brace for the impact.
Boom!
The two powerful Pokémon collided with great force, creating shockwaves that stirred up clouds of dust.
And then, the two began to clash head-on, trading blows relentlessly.
"That's enough."
At this moment, a voice rang out from the sidelines—it was Lance, the young officer from Kanto!
But his command seemed to have little effect, or perhaps, it was more accurate to say that it didn't reach Aerodactyl at all.
Aerodactyl's eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging with rage. Consumed by the fight, it seemed not to hear Lance's voice.
Charizard, hearing the command, was left with no choice but to keep defending itself.
Lance furrowed his brows, watching the scene for a while before sighing in resignation.
"Return, Aerodactyl."
He pulled out a Poké Ball and recalled Aerodactyl, giving Charizard a moment to finally relax.
"Rooaar—"
Charizard approached Lance, who patted its arm, signaling that everything was fine.
Lance had captured Aerodactyl some time ago, and it had acknowledged him as its Trainer. However, its emotions remained unstable.
In everyday situations, things were manageable, but whenever a battle grew intense, Aerodactyl would gradually lose control and refuse to listen to commands.
Lance had tried numerous methods to help Aerodactyl regain control, but with little success.
Looking at the Poké Ball in his hand, Lance saw the subdued Aerodactyl inside, its head hung low in regret as if realizing its mistake.
"It's alright, Aerodactyl. We'll overcome this together."
However, before that could happen, Lance needed to understand why Aerodactyl behaved this way.
After much consideration, Lance decided to seek help.
Fortunately, he had many friends he could turn to for support, like Professor Oak, the Draconid people, even Elite Four members and top-ranking officers.
When he shared Aerodactyl's situation online, he quickly received a few responses.
But what really caught Lance's eye was a message from Drake, the Dragon-type Elite Four member from the Hoenn region.
[Sailor King]: Losing control? Becoming enraged? I might know someone who can help you.
Lance, being a fellow Dragon-type Trainer and an investigator like Drake, was familiar with Drake's experiences and held him in high regard. So he reached out to Drake directly.
When the call connected, Lance briefly explained Aerodactyl's situation once more. After listening, Drake responded...
"You should go to Rustboro City in Hoenn and find a Trainer named 'Johan,' or rather, a Pokémon psychologist. He should be able to help you… Just mention that Drake sent you."
Johan? A Trainer?
Lance's eyes lit up again.
"Alright, thank you, Drake," Lance said gratefully.
"Oh, and one more thing."
Drake's voice came through the line once more, sounding slightly louder than usual due to the noisy background—likely because he was dealing with some other matters.
"When you ask for his help, don't go empty-handed. Remember to bring a gift!"
"Ah, also, his Pokémon is a Gastly, so you might want to approach from that angle. Anyway, I've got to get back to this—"
A Gastly, huh?
That complicated things a bit.
Lance's knowledge of Ghost and Poison-type Pokémon was limited to what he had learned as a combatant.
He scratched his head, muttering to himself, "Can't I just give him money? Then again, that might be too tacky."
Suddenly, an idea came to him.
"Got it!"
With a swift movement, he leaped onto Charizard's back. "Charizard, to Mt. Silver!"
Whoosh—
With a gust of wind, the orange silhouette soared into the sky.
Hoenn Region.
These days, Johan and Gastly lived a structured routine.
Except for weekends, Johan spent his mornings at the academy. If he had a class, he prepared the lesson plan in advance. However, most of the time, he stayed in his counseling office for an hour. If no one showed up for consultations, he took Gastly to the academy's training room for basic drills.
During the afternoons, after a quick nap, they returned to the training room to practice specific moves.
After work, they made a stop at Rustboro Police Station to soothe and heal the enraged Pokémon there, helping to refine Gastly's Hypnosis technique.
If Gastly still had energy left, they sometimes visited one of Rustboro's battle restaurants, provided the event matched Gastly's skill level.
Back home in the evenings, Gastly would watch some TV shows, while Johan used the time to answer queries at his online Pokémon psychology consultation room.
Lately, the buzz around Johan's research paper had died down, but his online consultation room was busier than ever.
Occasionally, Johan even spent one or two hours helping soothe Feebas (Cynthia) to sleep. That was the easiest money he made from all his "jobs" so far.
Overall, their days were fulfilling and peaceful.
Today.
At Rustboro Police Station.
"Thank you for all your hard work, Mr. Johan," Officer Jenny said with a smile as Johan prepared to leave.
"Ka-kah!"
Floating behind Johan, Gastly chimed in.
"Yes, thank you as well, Gastly," Officer Jenny added, making Gastly grin.
"Ka-kah~~"
With prideful glee, Gastly struck a pose.
"Tomorrow is the weekend," Johan smiled. "If there's no special circumstance, we might not come by. But of course, if there's an emergency, feel free to call me."
Officer Jenny nodded in understanding.
She saw how hard Johan and Gastly worked, so she wouldn't bother them unless absolutely necessary.
As they left the station, the golden light of the setting sun illuminated their path.
"Gastly," Johan called softly.
"Ka-kah?"
Two eyes peeked out from Johan's collar, blinking curiously.
"When do you think you'll evolve?"
"Ka-kah?"
Gastly appeared completely puzzled by the question.
Evolve?
No idea.
"Never mind. It's all the same anyway. Once we save up enough money, let's get that Substitute move-learning machine."
With Toxic, along with Substitute and Protect, they would have the foundation for a solid "Toxic stall" strategy. Passing the basic Trainer exam would be much easier after that.
Screech—
Suddenly, a rather luxurious car pulled up beside Johan and Gastly as they walked.
As they looked on in confusion, the car door opened to reveal a smiling Steven.
"Mr. Johan."
Once inside, Gastly floated around the car, inspecting everything curiously.
"What's this about?" Johan asked directly.
"Well, it might seem a bit forward, but my father would like to invite you to our home," Steven explained.
"Your home?"
Johan was taken aback.
Joseph Stone? The President of Devon Corporation?
"Now?"
"Yes, he mentioned wanting to discuss some matters with you."
"Discuss?"
Johan's eyes narrowed subtly.
Very well.
He was curious to learn more about Greater Mauville Holdings anyway.
The car drove smoothly forward.
Steven observed Gastly's increasingly tangible form and couldn't help but feel impressed.
Although he saw Gastly almost every day, he still noticed the progress it was making.
With Gastly's current strength, combined with Mr. Johan's tactical acumen and… ahem, strategies, not even Intermediate Trainers' Pokémon could stand a chance. Even Advanced Trainers might struggle against them.
Suddenly, Steven seemed to remember something.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Johan, have you heard of a Trainer named 'Fivefold'? Apparently, his Pokémon is also a Gastly, and it's been dominating most of Rustboro's battle restaurants lately."
"Ka-kah?"
Gastly froze mid-movement, slowly turning its head.
Johan remained unfazed, his voice steady.
"No, I haven't heard of him."
"Ka-kah-ka-kah~~"
Gastly eagerly nodded in agreement.
Nope, never heard of 'Fivefold'—totally unfamiliar!
"Is that so?" Steven didn't doubt them, sighing wistfully. "I heard that Gastly is quite formidable. I'd love to battle it someday."