The luxurious extended car soon arrived at an estate not far from the northern part of Rustboro City. The estate's design was quite old-fashioned, but the landscaping was exceptionally well-maintained. Even in autumn, lush greenery could be seen everywhere, and the flowers in the gardens were blooming vibrantly.
In the grass and among the trees, numerous Pokémon could be seen.
Beneath the fountain, some Oddish were happily enjoying the water, their leaves looking fresh and verdant. A Sunflora leaned against a tree, swaying gently as if on the verge of sleep. Among the flowers, Beautifly and Dustox fluttered gracefully.
The smiles on these Pokémon's faces clearly showed they were living happily here.
At this moment, a man dressed in a purple suit, sleeves rolled up, and a white towel wrapped around his head was squatting on the ground tinkering with something, drawing the attention of Johan, Steven, and Gastly as they got out of the car.
"Father!" Steven immediately recognized the man and walked forward, asking, "What are you tinkering with now?"
Hearing this, Joseph looked up with a smile. "Ah, Steven."
Joseph's warm face was smudged with dust, which he didn't seem to notice. In front of him was an odd-looking machine.
Beside him floated a Castform.
"Father, Johan is here," Steven reminded him.
Only then did Joseph notice Johan and Gastly standing behind Steven. He was slightly taken aback, then quickly stood up. "Oh, right! I almost—"
Before he could finish speaking, the machine in front of him suddenly exploded with a loud boom, flames bursting from within.
"Ka-kah!"
The sound startled Gastly.
It wasn't just Gastly—Castform, who was even closer to the machine, teared up.
"Waa—"
Its body swiftly transformed from its usual grey color to a blue raindrop shape, and rain began pouring down, accompanied by sizzling sounds as the flames on the machine were extinguished.
Both Steven and Johan let out a sigh of relief.
"Sorry about that, Johan," Joseph began to apologize.
But then—
Zap!!
Golden lightning suddenly sparked from Castform, and a bolt of electricity struck Joseph directly.
Thunderbolt?
For a moment, all three of them froze, especially Joseph, whose body still crackled with static. His mouth was slightly open, and a little smoke escaped from it.
Is this some real-life version of Ash's mishaps?
Joseph's "IQ" seemed to be off the charts in its own way.
Cough, Joseph coughed out another puff of black smoke but didn't seem angry. He simply smiled again, gently reassuring Castform, "It's alright, it's alright. I'm sorry I scared you."
"Woo…" Castform gradually calmed down under Joseph's comforting words, transforming back to its original grey, balloon-like form.
"Ka-kah~~"
Gastly's gaze shifted between Joseph and Johan.
Did I hold back too much before?
Looks like he won't die at all!
"Steven, can you check with the kitchen on the progress of dinner?" Joseph asked once Castform had settled down.
Steven glanced at Johan, knowing his father wanted to have a private conversation. Seeing Johan had no objections, he nodded and headed towards the mansion.
"Mr. Johan, forgive my clumsiness," Joseph said, taking off the white towel on his head and wringing out the water from Castform's rain. He casually wiped his face, which became much cleaner instantly.
Johan chuckled and shook his head.
There was nothing to laugh at. After all, he had a Gastly that could paralyze or poison him at any moment.
What Johan saw was a scene of harmonious coexistence between humans and Pokémon.
"Shall we take a walk?" Joseph suggested.
"Sure."
The two strolled through the estate's expansive garden.
Gastly's eyes darted around.
It decided to approach Castform.
I need to get some pointers.
How do you control your power without killing anyone?
"Woo—"
However, Castform seemed somewhat afraid of Gastly. The friendlier Gastly tried to look, the further away Castform drifted.
For a moment, the two Pokémon were chasing each other through the garden.
Meanwhile, Joseph and Johan walked alongside a small stream and began their conversation.
"I think… Steven was about six years old at the time. I took him out for some field research and gave him a Beldum and a freshly-dug rare stone. Ever since then, he's been completely enamored with Pokémon and stones."
"Thinking back on it now, he was so innocent and happy back then."
As Joseph spoke, a smile appeared on his face—a father's smile.
Johan had heard much of this from Steven back in Lavaridge Town.
But he remained silent, serving as a quiet listener.
"Actually, Mr. Johan, I invited you here today partly to properly thank you for everything you've done. The incident in the alleyway and what happened in Lavaridge Town—it's all thanks to you. I also heard that Steven gets along well with you at the academy and often listens to your advice."
Before Johan could reply, Joseph continued:
"Another reason I invited you is to formally ask if you would consider becoming Steven's private tutor."
"A private tutor?"
Johan was momentarily stunned.
He had considered various possibilities for why Joseph wanted to talk, but this was not one of them.
"Indeed," Joseph carefully straightened a flower that had been growing askew.
"Or, you could be an advisor for Devon Corporation. I understand you're quite busy, but I believe it wouldn't take too much of your time."
Johan stopped walking as well. "And what exactly do you want me to teach Steven? How to be an ideal heir to Devon?"
Joseph shook his head, smiling.
"Quite the opposite."
"I want you to teach him how to enjoy life's joys, to live happily as a Trainer and as a lover of stones."
Johan couldn't help but smile.
It's funny.
Steven's love for Pokémon and stones led him to dream of inheriting Devon Corporation sooner so his father, Joseph, could retire and enjoy life.
And Joseph was willing to set aside the massive business empire he had built from the ground up, just so his son could find happiness doing what he loves.
Dinner.
The table was full of food, but Gastly hovered with its head hanging low.
It cautiously glanced at Johan's stern expression and quickly looked away.
It looked like a child who had made a mistake and was feeling very guilty.
Seeing Gastly like this, Johan sighed in exasperation.
"Ka-kah ka-kah…"
I just wanted to say hi to Castform… be friends…
Besides, isn't Castform a Normal-type Pokémon that's immune to Ghost-type moves?
Johan's face darkened.
Is that really the problem?
Who wouldn't get scared if they turned around and saw a creepy ghost face with a big tongue?
"It's alright, Mr. Johan," Steven said as he entered the room, smiling at Johan and Gastly.
"Ka-kah?"
Seeing Steven, Gastly seemed to find a savior.
"What about your father and Castform?" Johan asked, relieved.
After all, scaring someone's Pokémon to the point of fainting while being a guest was awkward, to say the least.
"Oh, they went to the hospital," Steven said casually.
Johan: "…"
"Oh, right, my father wanted me to give you this as a thank-you gift."
Steven took out a cube-shaped box, which contained a Pokémon Egg!
"Ka-kah…" Gastly murmured cautiously.
Giving an egg…
Are we being told to get lost?
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