Poisoned

"Heh… Geodude… heh…"

The exhausted Geodude panted heavily, looking at Johan and his Gastly as if staring at two grinning devils.

Devils!

That's what they were!

It was supposed to be a battle, but from start to finish, Geodude hadn't landed a single hit on Gastly! Its attacks seemed completely useless against Gastly, and though Gastly didn't attack often, each move was far more tormenting than a direct strike.

The worst part?

Geodude couldn't even run away! Every time the thought of fleeing crossed its mind, it was paralyzed, unable to move.

What had it been through? Paralysis, confusion, sleep, flinching, burns… Each time it broke free from one condition, it was immediately hit with another. Its energy drained away from the phantom pain before it even realized what was happening.

Was this really a battle?

No, this was pure torment.

Every time Geodude thought about the battle with Gastly, it shivered in fear.

And that eerie laugh from Gastly, always showing up right behind it… And then there was Johan! He looked so weak and frail, as if his only redeeming feature was his good looks. Yet, one phrase he uttered had become seared into Geodude's mind:

"Heal it up… and we'll battle again."

Could any normal being say something like that?

Geodude felt like its little rocky heart had been crushed.

Compared to this, Steven's Metang seemed "gentle," and Roxanne was clearly the best trainer in the world!

Seeing Geodude's expression of surrender and defeat, Johan raised a hand to stop Gastly.

"That's enough. Don't be too cruel, Gastly."

"Ka-kah~"

Gastly sighed, floating back reluctantly.

Cruel? Me?

Johan rubbed his chin, deep in thought, ignoring Gastly's sulky look.

To be honest, the outcome of the battle was exactly what he expected. Gastly was simply too strong a counter to Geodude.

Roxanne's Geodude had great potential, especially with its inherited move Mega Punch. However, the problem was that Mega Punch is a Normal-type move.

Without moves like Foresight or Odor Sleuth, Normal-type attacks can't even touch a Ghost-type like Gastly. And Geodude simply wasn't strong enough to make up for that disadvantage.

Not only that, Geodude had tried Tackle twice, another Normal-type move, also completely ineffective against Gastly.

On top of that, Geodude was a Rock/Ground-type Pokémon, but Gastly's ability was Levitate.

This ability lets Pokémon like Gastly avoid most Ground-type moves unless they're affected by something like Gravity.

In short, Geodude's moveset was heavily limited.

Of all the moves Geodude knew, only its Rock-type moves could damage Gastly.

Moreover, Geodude's main strength was its physical defense, but its speed was lacking.

Gastly, on the other hand, excelled in special attack and speed.

Complete dominance!

As long as Johan and Gastly didn't make a foolish mistake, there was no way for Geodude to win unless it was drastically stronger.

That's why Johan decided to handle the battle himself instead of letting Steven and Metang step in. He wanted Gastly's first battle to boost its confidence.

Though… looking at Gastly now, it seemed like the confidence boost may have been a bit too much. Still, that was a minor issue.

"Geodude?"

Finally, as the battle ended, Roxanne ran into the field to check on her Pokémon, calling out softly.

"Geo!"

Geodude, no longer hearing Johan's calm commands or Gastly's eerie laughter, now thought Roxanne's voice sounded like heavenly music. It immediately rushed to her side, pressing against her for comfort.

Only after losing something do you realize how precious it is.

Roxanne was momentarily stunned.

Was this really the same Geodude that used to act so arrogantly?

At Johan's signal, Roxanne quickly comforted Geodude. It was clear that after today, Geodude would behave much better.

While it might still have some pride, it definitely wouldn't become a stubborn, unyielding Pokémon anymore.

Steven and his Metang also walked over, their expressions a mix of surprise and contemplation.

On one hand, Steven hadn't expected Roxanne's Geodude to calm down so effectively.

On the other hand, he was now seriously reflecting on Johan's battle style and skills.

Previously, when Steven learned that Johan had a Pokémon, he had asked if Johan could battle.

Johan's answer back then was something like, "Battle? I don't know how to battle."

But now…

From the precise timing of his moves to the seamless combination and coordination of strategies, Johan's performance didn't look like someone who had no idea how to battle.

Especially the way Gastly used those status moves… it was just…

Metang rubbed its eyes as if something was stuck in them.

Before Steven or Metang could say anything, Johan, while inspecting Geodude's condition, muttered to himself thoughtfully:

"Hm, it seems that in certain cases, 'physical intervention' is simpler and more effective than 'mental intervention.'"

"Metang!"

Metang's expression froze.

It looked at Steven with a pleading gaze.

Do I have a 'physical intervention' treatment coming up too?

Steven winced.

Physical intervention?

He suspected that Geodude had suffered more from a psychological blow than anything else.

Regardless of the methods, they all had to admit that the results were good.

Geodude was now sticking close to Roxanne and showed no signs of its former arrogance.

Steven took a deep breath.

"Johan, is it over now?"

"It's over," Johan nodded. "I was thinking, though, if Geodude had been more stubborn, I'd have let Gastly rest and then have you and Metang take over."

Steven: "…"

Wasn't Geodude stubborn enough?

Any normal Pokémon would have been overwhelmed after the first round of Johan's 'treatment.' Geodude had endured two rounds!

In Steven's mind, Geodude had shown considerable willpower.

Its ability may have been Rock Head, but that didn't mean it had a hard head in a literal sense.

He just hoped Geodude's confidence hadn't been completely shattered.

"Thank you, teacher!"

At this moment, Roxanne approached with Geodude by her side, expressing her gratitude.

"Geo… Geo…"

Even Geodude, no longer filled with contempt, shyly called out from behind Roxanne.

"Ka-kah!"

Gastly chuckled, waving its gaseous hand playfully.

But that laugh made Geodude shiver once more.

Johan crouched down and spoke directly to Geodude: "Listen to your trainer. You still have a chance to beat Gastly."

"Geo?"

Geodude froze, glancing at Roxanne.

Roxanne, having been briefed by Johan earlier, nodded seriously.

"Geo!"

A spark of determination reignited in Geodude's eyes.

Seeing this, Johan smiled.

Steven's eyes also brightened, clearly impressed.

It was evident now that his earlier concerns had been unfounded.

"Ka-kah, ka-kah~"

I'm pretty amazing, aren't I?

Gastly floated, full of pride.

Steven and Roxanne headed off to their classes, while Johan returned to the consultation room with Gastly. Along the way, Gastly seemed especially cheerful.

It had just finished its first real battle, and the outcome was clear—an easy victory.

This battle had reinforced the results of its recent training, giving both Gastly and Johan a sense of accomplishment.

"Don't get too cocky."

Johan smiled, brewing himself a cup of coffee.

He had noticed more during the battle than Gastly had. There were strengths and advantages, yes, but there were also plenty of weaknesses.

Those weaknesses would become the focus of their future training.

After all, real combat was one of the best ways to test the effectiveness of training.

"If Geodude had listened to its trainer's commands, the battle wouldn't have been so easy."

Johan reminded Gastly, wanting to curb any overconfidence.

Gastly, however, didn't seem too concerned.

"Ka-kah—"

As if I don't have a trainer too!

Watching Johan brew coffee so earnestly, a mischievous glint flashed in Gastly's eyes. It let out a soft, sinister chuckle and slowly faded from sight.

When Johan turned around after finishing his coffee…

"Ka-kah!"

Gastly suddenly popped out, making a goofy face, with its long tongue aimed directly at Johan.

Surprise attack!

Johan froze, his expression stiffening.

He reached up to wipe the saliva from his face but then stopped halfway, his hand freezing mid-air.

A faint purple hue crept across his face.

"This time… I'm really poisoned."

"Ka-kah?!"

And it wasn't just any poison.

Gastly's panicked voice echoed through the consultation room.