บท 22: I, Gastly, Am the God of Alley Fights!
"Calling the police was the right choice. If you ever encounter something like this again, trust in us at the League Police."
Outside the Rustboro Police Station, Officer Jenny spoke sternly to Johan and Steven, who had just finished giving their statements. She then turned and walked back into the building.
Johan and Steven exchanged glances.
Both couldn't help but recall the events that had just transpired.
Back then, Camerupt's Flamethrower was already prepared to launch, and its power clearly surpassed that of Steven's Metagross.
With the type disadvantage, combined with the tight alley environment, once the attack was unleashed, dodging would have been nearly impossible.
Luckily, Officer Jenny had arrived just in time, scaring the attackers off.
"Thanks, Johan-sensei," Steven said sincerely.
At first, Steven had thought Johan's decision to call the police seemed a bit out of place. After all, given the situation, by the time Officer Jenny and her team arrived, the robbers would have likely gotten away.
But now, in hindsight, Johan's decision to call the authorities had been incredibly wise.
Johan waved his hand thoughtfully, brushing off the thanks.
The two walked side by side.
The neon lights still illuminated the busy streets, loudly proclaiming the vibrancy of Rustboro City. But if one looked closely, they would notice that behind this dazzling brilliance, there were always one or two dark alleys stretching endlessly into the shadows, whispering secrets hidden beneath the city's splendor.
"Sensei, do you know who they were?" Steven finally asked after walking for a while.
Johan didn't stop, carrying the bag of energy cubes he had bought earlier, his eyes scanning the street as if searching for something. At the same time, he replied with a question of his own, "Aren't you curious?"
"Huh?" Steven looked puzzled.
Johan's eyes brightened as he finally found his target. He crossed the street, which wasn't too busy with traffic, and headed toward a rather unremarkable-looking restaurant.
Only then did he continue, "Dark-type Mightyena, Fire- and Ground-type Camerupt, and the quick Zangoose."
"You're saying..." Steven began to catch on.
Metagross, being Steel- and Psychic-type, had weaknesses to Dark-, Fire-, and Ground-types…
Moreover, the narrow alley wasn't favorable for Metagross to fight. It would make Metagross, already not the most agile Pokémon, even more sluggish. Steven might not even have had the space to summon another Pokémon.
While Steven was lost in thought, Johan had already lifted the curtain of the restaurant and walked inside.
Behind the counter, a middle-aged man in a chef's outfit greeted him with a smile. "Hey, Johan! The usual?"
Johan glanced at Steven, who had followed him in.
"Make it two orders."
"Got it!"
The two headed to the back of the small restaurant, where several private booths were separated by curtains. They found an empty one, ducked inside, and sat down.
Only after they were seated did Steven press on, "So they were targeting me?"
Johan shrugged and didn't answer directly. Instead, he said, "This place has great pork cutlet bowls, and the tempura is fried to perfection."
"Ka-kah!"
Gastly floated out from Johan's clothes, holding a fork it had somehow gotten its hands on, and looked eager to dig in.
Dinner had long passed, and after the fight in the alley, Gastly was starving. It felt like it could eat an entire Tauros!
"But why? What was their goal?" Steven asked again.
This time, Johan's calm gaze met Steven's. His eyes were like a still pond, with only faint ripples disturbing the surface, yet they radiated an undeniable tranquility.
Steven stopped mid-question.
"Here you go, two pork cutlet bowls and tempura—"
The chef broke the brief silence as he brought over the steaming dishes, filling the booth with the tantalizing aroma of freshly fried food.
There were five full meals in total!
The delicious scent quickly filled the small space.
"Ka-kah!"
As soon as the chef left, Gastly's eyes lit up, and drool nearly escaped from its mouth. It grabbed the fork and eagerly began devouring its food.
Johan also started eating.
After a few bites, he noticed that Steven hadn't touched his meal. "Not to your liking?"
"No, it's fine," Steven snapped out of his thoughts, quickly assuring Johan as he picked up his chopsticks. He hadn't eaten dinner either, and though he usually ate more gracefully, tonight was different.
By the time Johan had finished one meal, Gastly was already on its third bowl. What surprised Johan even more was that Steven had also finished his portion fairly quickly—and cleaned his plate spotless.
There was no trace of the typical Devon heir's demeanor; he even neatly placed his chopsticks on the plate when he finished.
"Burp—"
Gastly let out a loud burp, flopping lazily onto a cushion, its eyes swirling in satisfaction. It was clear that the little ghost was in absolute bliss.
"The food is really good," Steven admitted, finally letting go of his earlier concerns. He couldn't help but praise the meal.
For Steven, a lover of high-quality food, to compliment the chef's cooking showed just how skilled the restaurant owner was.
Afterward, Steven turned to Gastly and said earnestly, "Thanks for your help tonight, Gastly."
Without Gastly scouting the area and knocking out several enemies, they wouldn't have gotten through the night so smoothly.
"Ka-kah?"
Gastly froze.
Was… was I just thanked?
It was the first time anyone besides Johan had thanked Gastly. The little ghost felt… shy?
"Ka-kah ka-kah!"
The black mist around Gastly swirled, unsure whether it was blushing or boasting.
I, Gastly, am the God of Alley Fights!
Gastly: (✧ᴗ✧)
Both Johan and Steven burst into laughter.
"Sensei, I've thought it through," Steven said seriously after the laughter died down.
"Those people were clearly after me. I've never made enemies, so it must be because of my last name—or more specifically, because of Devon."
"Other than Camerupt, the rest of their Pokémon weren't particularly strong, but they clearly knew a lot about me…"
It was only now that Steven realized Johan's earlier silence had been deliberate, giving him time to think for himself.
And from Steven's perspective, Johan had been dragged into this incident. He should have known more than Johan about who their enemies were, as the primary target.
Steven's analysis was methodical.
His final conclusion was that whoever had set this trap likely had a grudge against Devon Corporation, but there wasn't enough information to pinpoint exactly who.
"Well done." Johan smiled, standing up and patting Steven on the shoulder.
"Steven, you have great potential. You know a lot about Pokémon, people, and even different kinds of stones. This will make you an excellent Trainer, a capable Devon heir, and a brilliant stone collector."
Johan propped his hand against the door frame, lifting the curtain as he stepped out.
His words filled Steven with pride and joy.
"But… you don't know yourself well enough yet."
You don't realize how great you can be. You're capable of excelling as a top-tier Trainer, a Devon heir, and a stone collector, without having to choose or make compromises.
That part Johan didn't say out loud. It was a bit too soon for Steven to fully grasp that idea.
After Johan and Gastly left, Steven sat quietly for a long time.
"Whoo…"
Steven exhaled deeply, a new brightness in his eyes.
"Not knowing myself well enough, huh?"
He had a feeling that Johan could help him "understand" himself better.
But that was something for the future—something that couldn't be rushed.
As he left the restaurant, Steven's thoughts lingered.
Still, I need to find a way to properly thank Johan-sensei for tonight and for helping with Metagross earlier…
But how?
Money?
Steven immediately shook his head.
No, he shouldn't cheapen his gratitude with "material things."
Suddenly, an idea struck him, and his eyes lit up.
"Um…"
At that moment, the restaurant owner called out from behind him.
"Sir, are you paying for your meal?"
Steven: "???"
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