Early the next morning, Johan was busy preparing breakfast for his Pokémon, especially Tinkatink, who had just hatched.
As a newly-hatched Pokémon, Tinkatink had already demonstrated strength far beyond its size and age, yet Johan still opted to make it a special "baby meal" of nutritious Pokéblocks, Moomoo Milk, and some simple ingredients. He prepared a healthy portion—nearly as much as he'd make for Vulpix.
But then he noticed…
"Chu, Chu~~"
Tinkatink was swinging its hammer with one hand and patting its round, full belly with the other, clearly indicating it couldn't eat another bite.
Johan let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Perfect!
Though Tinkatink hadn't trained much and thus wasn't showing its true appetite, Johan figured that even once it started training, it would probably still eat less than Vulpix, as long as it didn't evolve.
This was good news for Johan, who had been a bit worried that Tinkatink might have an appetite comparable to Haunter's. Together, they would have had the appetite of a Snorlax!
Fortunately, his worst fears had been averted.
"Ka-kah~~"
Meanwhile, Haunter, having already finished its breakfast, eyed Tinkatink's leftovers and asked with a wicked grin.
"Chu~~ Chu~~"
Tinkatink cheerfully waved it off.
No problem!
Haunter beamed with joy.
Just then, a loud bird cry came from the window.
On the windowsill sat a lively Pidgeotto, complete with a package strapped to its back.
"Pidgeotto Express sure is fast—they've delivered it already," Johan remarked, pleased. Clearly, the package was filled with items he'd ordered online last night.
The delivery industry in the Pokémon world was highly competitive, after all.
However, before Johan could reach for the package, Tinkatink, already full and alert, fixed its gaze on the Pidgeotto, its eyes lighting up.
"Chu!!"
Ooh, a big bird!
Without hesitation, it grabbed Haunter's fork from the table, rolled it into a ball, and swung its hammer in a mock baseball swing, sending the iron ball flying straight at Pidgeotto.
Whoosh!
Pidgeotto squawked in surprise and flapped its wings furiously to dodge the projectile.
"Caw?!"
Are you trying to get out of paying the delivery fee?!
Pidgeotto's piercing gaze swept the room, pausing on Haunter's sinister grin and Vulpix's calmly swaying tails. A chill ran through it.
Uh-oh, it thought. These are serious troublemakers!
Better get out of here!
Flapping its wings, it prepared to take off.
"Haunter, Vulpix!"
Johan shouted, rushing to intercept Tinkatink just as it was readying to take another shot.
"It's not a Corviknight, Tinkatink—there's no 'loot' for you to take."
"Chu?"
Tinkatink tilted its head, looking puzzled.
No loot?
In the Paldea region, Tinkatinks often have their hammers stolen by metal-eating Pokémon like Corviknights. As a result, whenever they see a Corviknight, Tinkatinks feel a nearly instinctive urge to knock it out and salvage its armor to incorporate into their hammers.
Meanwhile, Haunter zipped through the wall and intercepted Pidgeotto before it could escape.
"Ka-kah-kah~~"
Haunter grinned menacingly, dark energy forming a ball between its hands.
Vulpix hopped up on the windowsill, eyes glinting, using its psychic abilities to suspend Pidgeotto in place.
"Caw!! (д)"
They're going to roast me!
Pidgeotto's eyes welled up with tears.
"Oowu~~" Vulpix smiled kindly.
No need to worry.
Then it gently returned Pidgeotto to the windowsill, placing it exactly where it had been before.
"Ka-kah?"
Haunter looked at the Shadow Ball in its hand, and under Pidgeotto's horrified gaze, swallowed it whole, causing its body to momentarily swell.
"Caw-caw… (;へ:)"
"What… exactly are you guys doing?"
Johan, now carrying Tinkatink, came over, rubbing his forehead in frustration.
Two minutes later…
"Sorry, sorry about that—it was just a misunderstanding…"
Johan gave Pidgeotto a sheepish smile and tossed it a few Pokéblocks, trying to appease the frightened bird.
Pidgeotto ruffled its feathers and took off, looking back at them three times as it flew.
The farther away from that house, the better! It would rather be born a Caterpie than ever return here.
Haunter, Vulpix, and Tinkatink all stood lined up with their heads bowed, looking as if they'd been caught doing something wrong.
They didn't dare raise their heads to meet Johan's gaze.
Johan sighed.
Tinkatink's instinct to knock down birds would need some training to curb…
After that, he turned his attention back to the package.
Upon opening it, he found a cold, ominous-looking charm decorated with ghostly symbols—the Spell Tag!
"Ka-kah!!"
Seeing the Spell Tag, Haunter's eyes sparkled with excitement.
It could feel the intense ghostly energy emanating from the tag, and knew it would be a powerful aid.
"Here you go," Johan said, doing his best to ignore the pang in his wallet as he handed Haunter the Spell Tag.
In the Pokémon world, even items of the same type varied in power—for instance, a Dragon Fang from a Dragonite would give a greater boost than one from a Dratini.
This Spell Tag had cost him a whopping 1.4 million Pokédollars—a price he had carefully calculated to find the most effective option for Haunter.
"Ka-kah~~"
Haunter chuckled, grabbing the Spell Tag and swallowing it immediately, making its form grow slightly more solid.
"Here are your TM Disks—'Light Screen' and 'Reflect.'"
Johan took out two TM Disks and handed them to Vulpix and Tinkatink.
These two TMs had cost quite a bit as well, shrinking Johan's savings considerably overnight.
But he couldn't bring himself to get only Haunter something valuable; it didn't feel fair to leave out Vulpix and Tinkatink. And since both Vulpix and Tinkatink could use Light Screen and Reflect, it was a two-for-one deal.
"Vulpix, be sure to watch along with Tinkatink," Johan instructed.
"Oowu!!"
Vulpix accepted the TM Disks happily.
Tinkatink, however, had its eyes fixed on the special metal boxes that had housed the Spell Tag and TM Disks.
The container for the Spell Tag, in particular, was made of a special metal to prevent the ghostly energy from seeping out.
"Chu!"
Excited, Tinkatink ran over, grabbed both boxes, and immediately started hammering away.
"Ka-kah?"
"Oowu?"
Haunter and Vulpix exchanged puzzled glances.
Didn't it already have a hammer?
Then they watched in amazement as Tinkatink skillfully combined the two metal boxes with its own hammer, forging a brand-new, sturdier hammer.
While it looked similar in appearance, this new hammer was noticeably heavier and more durable.
Johan, who had watched the whole process, suddenly felt a sense of dread.
He'd been relieved that Tinkatink's appetite wasn't as big as he'd feared.
But he'd completely forgotten…
As a Steel-type, Tinkatink's hammer was essential to its strength and could even impact the power of its moves.
This meant that raising Tinkatink would likely require… a steady supply of rare metals!
That would be far more costly than just feeding it.
Think about the kind of metals Steven fed his Pokémon daily!
Feeling slightly faint, Johan leaned against the wall.
He'd been hasty.
It was far too early to feel relieved…
After breakfast, Johan decided to take his Pokémon to a training area for a warm-up.
If all went well, he'd try challenging Rustboro Gym today.
As they were leaving…
[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: Got any plans for today?
"Nearly forgot about that guy," Johan muttered.
[Grain in the Field]: Heading to challenge Rustboro Gym! (Sunglasses emoji)
[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: A Gym challenge?
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Powerstones?
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