บท 6: Steven Stone
Johan walked toward the new student registration area, coffee in hand.
Though he wasn't particularly eager to be there, he suspected that Professor Cozmo's sudden disappearance had something to do with the missing stone that housed Gastly.
Perhaps Professor Cozmo was off looking for it, and since Johan and Gastly were partly responsible, he reluctantly took over his duties.
Upon arriving at the registration desk, several teachers were already there, either organizing paperwork or chatting. The most eye-catching was a Battle Department instructor with a Kadabra, who effortlessly sorted through documents while laughing with a nearby female teacher. The Kadabra bent its spoon, and with a flash of its eyes, the files floated into neat stacks—though whether they were properly organized was anyone's guess.
'If Kadabra can do this, Gastly should be able to as well someday,' Johan thought.
Though Gastly was a Ghost- and Poison-type, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility for it to learn Psychic-type moves. After all, Ghosts and the paranormal often had a connection to psychic powers.
"Mr. Johan, are you in charge of welcoming the new students today?"
"Good morning, Mr. Johan."
"..."
Johan found his seat and exchanged brief pleasantries with the teachers he barely knew.
His task was simple: register the students' names and departments, and if they were staying on campus, assign them a dorm room.
All the necessary enrollment checks had already been done, so registration was just a formality.
"Next."
Johan called without looking up.
By now, a long line of students had formed.
Kanaz Pokémon University, one of the top Pokémon academies in the Hoenn region, had a prestigious reputation in the Pokémon world, attracting many students from influential backgrounds.
A young man sat down in front of him.
"Name?" Johan asked as he filled out the form.
"Daigo, Steven Stone."
"Daigo... Steven Stone... Majoring in Pokémon Battling and Pokémon Breeding, with electives in History, Geology, and Metal Synthesis... Hmm?"
As Johan found Steven's name and department on the form, he paused and discreetly looked up at the young man.
His light blue, almost silver hair, a perfectly tailored noble suit, a handsome face, and a charming smile.
Johan muttered, "Steven?"
Steven Stone! The future Champion of the Hoenn region, heir to the Devon Corporation, one of the largest companies in the Pokémon world, and the quintessential rich and talented man!
"Yes, sir," Steven responded, his smile warm and humble, with no trace of the arrogance one might expect from the heir of Devon.
Johan nodded, registering the information, and handed him his student ID.
"Since you're not staying in the dorms, no need to assign you a room. Use the ID number on the student portal to access your digital textbooks."
"Thank you."
Steven took the student ID, thanked Johan, and stepped aside as if waiting for someone.
Before Johan could call the next student, a quiet girl with twin buns and pink tights sat down.
"Are you... Mr. Johan?" she asked hesitantly, as if unsure.
Hmm?
Johan was taken aback.
A new student who knew him?
Even most senior students wouldn't recognize him, let alone a first-year.
"You know me?" Johan asked.
"It really is you!" The girl's face lit up with excitement.
"Roxanne, do you know this teacher?" Steven asked in surprise, standing nearby.
Roxanne? The future Rustboro City Gym Leader?
Johan's gaze shifted between the two of them.
Roxanne nodded enthusiastically. "Cousin, you don't know? Mr. Johan scored a perfect score in Pokémon theory and ranked first in the Hoenn region to be admitted into Kanto's Silver University!"
A perfect score in theory?
First in Hoenn?
Steven looked at Johan, who didn't seem much older than him, with newfound curiosity.
With such outstanding achievements, why was Johan teaching at Kanaz Pokémon Academy?
Even though Kanaz was the top academy in Hoenn, Silver University was in a league of its own.
Johan cleared his throat and handed Roxanne her student ID.
"Roxanne, here's your ID. Please take care of it."
"Thank you, Mr. Johan." Roxanne took the card, hesitated briefly, then asked, "Mr. Johan, which department are you a professor in?"
"Pokémon Psychology," Johan replied casually.
Neither Roxanne nor Steven had chosen to take that course.
With a long line of students still waiting, the two didn't linger after receiving their IDs and left soon after.
Johan completed the registration duties for the day and, feeling exhausted, dragged himself back to his consultation room.
"Ka-kah?"
As Johan returned, Gastly cautiously peeked its head out from the ceiling, grinning sheepishly.
Johan's mouth twitched.
Honestly.
Having a Pokémon that could phase through walls...
...was actually kind of nice.
At the very least, it added a little excitement to his life, right?
"Ka-kah?"
"It's fine."
Click.
Johan flipped the switch on the wall, and the room, previously dim, was flooded with the warm light from the incandescent bulb. The eerie atmosphere that Gastly brought to the room faded a bit, though it was still noticeably cooler than the temperature outside.
'I guess I won't need air conditioning in the summer,' Johan thought, rolling his eyes.
"You can leave the light on from now on," he added.
"Ka-kah~"
Gastly responded obediently.
"Alright, let's continue from earlier. Show me what you've got."
Having prepared itself, Gastly's black mist began to swirl.
The already cool room became even colder.
"Hmm?"
Johan, rubbing his arms to fend off the chill, stared at Gastly, waiting to see what moves it could use.
But then, to his surprise, ghostly, transparent text suddenly appeared in front of him:
[Gastly]
[Type: Ghost, Poison]
[Ability: Levitate]
[Moves: Confuse Ray, Lick, Hypnosis, Mean Look, Spite, Astonish, Curse, Will-O-Wisp]
[Mood: Happy, Anxious]
[Condition: Good (Though still not fully recovered from long-term slumber)]
[Friendship: 75 (Gastly acknowledges you, but you've got a ways to go before true closeness)]
Is this... Gastly's status?
Johan's eyes scanned over the strange text while watching Gastly manifest glowing spots within its black mist, forming a small glowing orb—Confuse Ray!
It really was one of Gastly's moves.
Did this mean the text was showing Gastly's actual abilities?
Johan's lips twitched.
Well, then.
Johan couldn't help but marvel.
Eight moves in total—quite a lot!
But every single one was a control or debuff move!
Confuse Ray caused confusion, Hypnosis put enemies to sleep, Mean Look trapped opponents in battle, Spite hindered move usage, Curse sapped the opponent's stamina over time, and Will-O-Wisp inflicted burns.
Even Gastly's two offensive moves, Lick and Astonish, had added effects of paralysis and flinching.
This set of moves could really break an opponent's will, even if they didn't outright lose.
'As expected of Gastly, a future Gengar in the making,' Johan thought.
In the games, a Pokémon could only be affected by one status condition at a time. But in reality? That was yet to be seen.
One thing Johan was certain of: the success rate of these status effects would depend on the move's proficiency and the Pokémon's strength.
Sometimes, it's better to be proficient in fewer moves than to spread too thin.
'Gastly is a Poison-type, too, right? Maybe it hasn't fully realized its potential yet, which is why I got poisoned... but it does have untapped talent.'
'Wait a second.'
The "Friendship" stat was easy to understand. Gastly had agreed to be his Pokémon, so the friendship score wouldn't be low, but it couldn't be too high either, since it was only just captured.
The "Happy" mood also made sense, but why was Gastly "Anxious"?
Johan frowned.
Gastly had seemed off ever since he'd walked into the room.
"K-Ka-kah?"
Noticing Johan's expression, Gastly grew even more nervous, its gaze darting around anxiously.
Johan quickly noticed that Gastly kept glancing at his desk.
Suspicious, Johan walked over to the desk.
As soon as he did, Gastly's nervousness intensified.
When Johan reached the desk and looked at his computer...
"Gastly!"
"K-Ka-kah!"
I can explain! Please hear me out!
Black smoke was rising from Johan's computer tower.
A vein popped on Johan's forehead.
"K-K-Ka-kah..."
Knock, knock.
Just as Gastly was about to plead its case, there was a knock at the door.
Rubbing his temples, Johan waved his hand, signaling Gastly to disappear.
Gastly quickly vanished into the ceiling with a sigh of relief.
"Come in," Johan called.
The door opened, and a familiar voice greeted him.
"Sorry to bother you, sir. I'm a first-year student. Do you know where Professor Cozmo is, Mr. Johan?"
To Johan's surprise, the visitor was none other than Steven Stone.
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