Upon closer inspection, Gastly's so-called "airplane" was actually a majestic Charizard. And on Charizard's back, there seemed to be someone lying down.
"Huh?" Johan leaned out the window, his head tilting slightly.
That familiar pose, that slightly visible cloak—it was unmistakably Lance!
Why was Lance here?
No, no, maybe he wasn't here for me. After all, old neighborhoods like this, without much surveillance, were the best places to hide criminals.
With that thought, Johan pulled back from the window, humming a little tune as he continued making breakfast.
Half an hour later…
Knock, knock, knock—
Someone rapped on the door.
"Ka-kah—" Gastly mumbled with its mouth full of bread. It quickly floated to the door but didn't open it immediately. Instead, it stuck its eyes through the wood.
Johan had told it never to open the door without checking—it might be a bad guy.
Gastly saw a young man with short, auburn hair and a ruggedly handsome face. He wore a black investigator's uniform, and a cloak draped from his shoulders. It was Lance, standing right at their door!
Gastly's eyes met Lance's.
Lance gave a slight smile.
"You must be Mr. Johan's Pokémon, right? Hello, I'm a Dragon Mas—"
"Ka-kah!!"
Before Lance could finish his introduction, Gastly withdrew its head and started yelling inside.
You won't believe who's here! Hey, it's Doduo!
Lance: "???"
Footsteps and scolding followed from inside the house.
"Stop shouting!"
Click.
The door creaked open.
Lance was greeted by the sight of Johan, chewing on a Cheri Berry, and a slightly embarrassed-looking Gastly, who was now covering its head with shadowy hands.
"Mr. Lance?" Johan's face showed genuine surprise.
He really was here to see him?
Lance seemed equally surprised.
"Mr. Johan, you recognize me?"
Gastly's reaction earlier had already seemed strange to Lance. He hadn't completely understood what Gastly said, but it almost seemed familiar with him.
Johan chuckled.
"The famous young investigator of Kanto, Lance the Dragon Master—who wouldn't recognize you? Please, come in."
He stepped aside to let Lance in.
"Sorry to intrude."
"Ka-kah," Gastly greeted him again with a grin.
Gastly: ╭(●｀●)╯
Then, out of nowhere, Gastly pulled out a phone and rapidly scrolled through the screen with its tongue until it found Lance's promotional photo. Seeing this, Lance couldn't help but understand.
"Have you had breakfast?" Johan asked as he led Lance inside.
After entering, Lance instinctively scanned the room. Despite its small size and modest decor, the house felt quite cozy and warm, giving him an unexpected sense of comfort.
"Thank you, I've already eaten," Lance replied.
"There's not much to offer here, but have a bottle of Moomoo Milk," Johan suggested.
"Thanks."
The two of them sat at the dining table.
After some small talk, Lance got straight to the point.
"…So that's basically it. My Aerodactyl seems fine most of the time, but in heated battles or intense training, it tends to lose control. The Pokémon Center couldn't find anything wrong either…"
"Hm," Johan murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Intermittent, manic episodes of losing control…"
He paused, then asked, "How did you find out about me? I don't exactly have a big reputation."
"It was Drake who recommended you," Lance explained with a smile. "And besides, you were quite well-known at Silver Academy."
So, he did his homework.
Well, that made sense. Lance was an investigator from Kanto, so looking up his background at Silver Academy wouldn't be hard.
It seemed like Drake was finding ways to keep him busy.
When Lance mentioned Drake, it triggered Johan's memory. Lance pulled out an old, yellowed book titled The Art of Fear from his coat.
"By the way, I didn't come empty-handed. I heard you train a Gastly, so I brought a little gift. Hopefully, it's of some use."
"What's this?" Johan asked, intrigued.
"Ka-kah?" Gastly peered over his shoulder, its eyes lighting up as if discovering a new toy. Its red tongue was practically twitching in excitement.
Fear? Gastly knew a thing or two about that!
As Johan flipped through a few pages, his expression turned slightly odd.
Lance explained, "I don't have much expertise with Ghost or Poison types, so I sought help from Agatha, Kanto's Ghost-type Master. She was quite reluctant, but when I mentioned I was giving it to you, Mr. Johan, she hesitated for only a moment before agreeing."
Of course, Lance had to pay a certain price for it, but he didn't feel the need to mention that.
Lance tilted his head, puzzled. "Do you know Agatha personally?"
Johan wiped away the beads of sweat forming on his brow.
Personally? Not even close!
But then, he remembered something important—his research paper!
The one that Professor Oak had praised and commented on.
Better not delve into the messy, drama-like history of Agatha and Oak's long-standing love-hate relationship.
As Johan looked at the title of the notes, he felt as if a shadowy old woman holding a cane was standing right in front of him, whispering:
Kid, you choose this guide… or Oak?
Johan quickly handed the notes to Gastly, instructing it to keep them well hidden and never take them out casually.
"Ka-kah ka-kah." Gastly nodded vigorously, grinning from ear to ear.
"Cough, I definitely don't know Agatha. So, let's focus on Aerodactyl, shall we?"
"Alright."
Lance didn't press further on that subject.
"Let me have a look at Aerodactyl in person," Johan suggested.
"Here?" Lance asked.
Aerodactyl would never fit in Johan's small apartment. Even if it did, given its current issues, it could easily cause unnecessary damage.
In fact, summoning it anywhere within the city's boundaries—or even in Rustboro's outskirts—might not be the best idea.
Johan pursed his lips thoughtfully.
"Not in the city. We'll need to head to the outskirts, at the very least."
He imagined Aerodactyl was quite powerful.
"I agree," Lance nodded.
"Give me a moment to change clothes," Johan said as he headed towards his room.
Lance nodded and waited silently.
----
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