The night sky was exceptionally bright with stars.
"Hiccup—"
Gastly floated behind Johan, wobbling contentedly yet looking quite uncomfortable.
"Ka-kah…"
"I told you not to eat so much," Johan sighed.
"Ka-Kah…"
"Hey! We're almost home, don't throw up on me!"
Half an hour later, Gastly lay lazily on the sofa, scrolling through videos on its phone.
Johan, having just dried his damp hair with a towel, walked out of the bathroom and sat by the dining table, gazing at the Pokémon Egg in the incubator with a look of resignation.
Taking care of a Gastly was hard enough, and now Joseph had given him a Pokémon Egg as a gift.
And the main issue? He didn't even know what kind of Pokémon was inside this egg.
During dinner, Joseph had called to reassure Johan that Castform was fine and that he didn't need to worry. He also apologized for not being able to join him for dinner.
But when Johan asked what kind of egg it was, Joseph had only responded with a mysterious smile.
Johan had reason to suspect that maybe Joseph didn't even know what was in the egg.
"Well, just leave it there for now. The incubator will keep it safe; I just need to add nutrients every few days."
Surely the egg Joseph gave him wouldn't hatch into something as common as a Magikarp, right?
Johan placed the incubator on a shelf.
When he turned around, he saw Gastly watching him and immediately spoke sternly:
"Don't even think about messing with it."
"Ka-kah!!" Gastly jumped up, looking aggrieved.
What do you take me for? I wouldn't eat it! Maybe just lick it a little…
"No licking!" Johan retorted, scowling.
"Ka-kah?!" Gastly tilted its head, confused.
How else do you make friends?
Gastly was already eager to befriend whatever Pokémon would hatch from that egg.
Johan took a deep breath and pulled a Technical Machine out of his pocket.
"If you promise not to lick it for a whole month, this is yours."
Gastly's eyes lit up instantly.
"Ka-kah?" Where did you get that?
"I sold myself for it," Johan muttered grumpily as he dried his hair and changed into fresh clothes.
"Ka-kah?" Gastly looked puzzled.
Sold yourself again?
This was the Substitute Technical Machine Johan got with the salary from his new position as a "Devon Corporation Advisor" after accepting Joseph's offer.
After changing, Johan came back with a mop, brush, and a bucket from the bathroom.
Gastly gave him a puzzled look.
What are you doing now?
"Cleaning up your 'masterpiece'—got to be considerate, or we might attract a Grimer, and then we'd get complaints," Johan replied.
Gastly chuckled awkwardly.
Oops…
Swish, swish—
The soft moonlight enveloped Rustboro City in a delicate veil. Water stains on the ground reflected faint glimpses of the moon, constantly changing shapes as Johan scrubbed them away.
Gastly drifted around, left and right, with its shadow casting ghostly forms on the ground and walls under the moonlight.
"Ka-kah ka-kah—"
Go, go, keep it up! Gastly cheered while still glued to the Technical Machine video.
"Phew—"
Johan exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow. Seeing the now spotless floor, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Almost done."
With that, he picked up the bucket.
Splash—
Fresh water washed over the ground, making it clean again.
"Ka-kah, Ka-kah!" Gastly called out to get Johan's attention.
Johan turned and saw that Gastly's misty aura was shifting and swelling, and its expression was growing focused and serious, with its face slightly reddened.
With a low murmur from Gastly, a portion of the dark mist behind it split off, forming a smaller, shadowy figure in Gastly's shape with a wicked grin.
Two shadows were now cast on the ground. Substitute?
Johan was stunned as he watched.
"Ka-kah!" Gastly looked proudly at Johan.
It guided the "Substitute" back into its shadow, making it appear and disappear at will.
"Did you… just learn it?" Johan glanced at Gastly's data on his Pokémon app, seeing the word Substitute now listed in the "Mastered Moves" section.
It couldn't have been watching the video for more than an hour.
Maybe not even that long.
Sure, Substitute wasn't an especially difficult move; it was relatively simple in the grand scheme of things. But other Pokémon would still need at least a day or two to fully grasp it.
How did you manage it in less than an hour?
"Are you really a genius?" Johan asked.
Or perhaps you've got some kind of "straight-A student" system installed?
"Ka-kah ka-kah—" Gastly cackled proudly. I told you I was talented. Now you believe me, huh?
In truth, Gastly did seem to have a knack for learning moves quickly, like Haze, Toxic, and Hex.
And it also got better at moves it had already learned quite fast.
Poof—
Watching as the Substitute dissolved and returned to Gastly, Johan began to understand.
It wasn't just talent; Gastly's frequent practice of morphing into different forms had given it excellent control over its own body.
"Ka-kah!" Gastly was now pumped to learn its next move.
"No, this isn't enough," Johan said seriously.
Confidence was good, but too much could lead to arrogance, and he didn't want Gastly getting carried away.
"Ka-kah?"
"Think about it. Since Substitute is part of your body, why can't it use moves?" Johan suggested.
"Huh?" Gastly blinked, glancing at the Technical Machine.
It didn't say that in the video.
"Hypnosis only says it puts foes to sleep, but is that all your Hypnosis does?" Johan asked.
Gastly's eyes widened in realization.
That's true…
"So, just because other Pokémon can't use moves with their Substitutes, doesn't mean you can't. You're talented, aren't you?" Johan said with a glint of mischief in his eyes.
"Imagine if your Substitute could use moves like Will-O-Wisp while you hit with Hex. Wouldn't that take down opponents in one shot?"
"Or, your Substitute uses Confuse Ray, and you follow up with Lick. A double whammy."
"Think bigger—make three or four Substitutes all using different moves. The opponent wouldn't stand a chance."
Gastly's eyes gleamed with excitement.
It was like a door to a new world had just opened.
That makes so much sense!
"Ka-kah—" Gastly excitedly lunged at Johan.
Splat—
Its tongue landed squarely on Johan's face.
"Crunch."
Johan wiped his face as he took a bite of a Cheri Berry, mumbling, "Right? You've got a lot left to learn."
"Ka-kah ka-kah!"
Gastly nodded earnestly.
"Let's head back."
As Johan was picking up the bucket, he suddenly had a thought and walked over to a nearby trash station. He pulled out a handful of Pokéblocks from his pocket and set them on the ground.
"Ka-kah?"
"I read in the news that urban areas have gotten too clean, and Grimer are losing their habitats. The League had to set up dedicated trash stations for them. They've got it rough too. If we can help, we should, even if it's just a little," Johan explained.
After leaving the Pokéblocks, Johan and Gastly headed home.
Not long after they left, movement stirred in the previously silent trash station. A pair of eyes appeared from the shadows.
The next day.
While waiting for breakfast, Gastly, practicing Substitute by the window, suddenly noticed an orange figure circling in the sky.
"Ka-kah!" Look, a plane!