Former Elite Four Member

"Ka-kah?"

Though confused, Gastly, sensing the tone in Johan's voice, obediently returned to his side.

Seeing this, Heatran also relaxed slightly.

"From now on, stay away from rocks in lava, especially the red ones," Johan instructed. "And if they have stripes on them, don't even think about flying near them."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "But if you accidentally do get close, stop floating around like that."

"Ka-kah?"

Gastly blinked a couple of times.

Striped red stones? What could be so special about them?

In reality, that stone wasn't all that unique, but if one looked closely, they'd notice that a significant amount of the lava was seeping through the cracks around it.

Obviously, the stone was helping to block the lava flow. If Gastly had accidentally loosened it, the outcome could've been disastrous.

From the way Heatran had reacted, it was likely that it had placed the stone there itself, though for what exact reason was unknown.

Perhaps it was to protect the Pokémon living in the mountain and below?

Or maybe there was something within the lava that needed to be kept in check?

"Roar—"

Heatran crawled out of the tunnel, hanging upside down from the cave ceiling. It waved its claw at Johan and Steven again, signaling for them to leave and not cause any more trouble.

Johan, for his part, was more than ready to leave.

While Heatran hadn't been hostile, who could say how long its goodwill would last?

Johan retrieved the unconscious Camerupt into a Pokéball.

Taming this Camerupt would be no easy task. Just healing it would likely take a long time and be quite expensive. For now, it was more practical to store it in a Pokéball.

With Heatran watching them closely, Johan and Steven slowly retreated, taking their Pokémon along.

However, just before leaving the cave, Johan hesitated briefly before taking out three bottles of Moomoo Milk and some energy cubes.

Facing the somewhat surprised Heatran, Johan said, "Thanks."

"Roar?"

After the two left, Heatran slowly approached the items Johan had left behind, sniffing them cautiously. Its eyes lit up.

It raised its head and glanced in the direction they had gone.

These people... aren't bad, Heatran thought. Picking up the goods, it returned deeper into the cave, giving the red-hot stone a gentle pat and letting out a sigh.

That little one has sharp instincts...

As Johan and Steven emerged from the crack in the mountain, both let out long sighs of relief. The hot, stifling air receded, and as the cooler outside breeze hit their sweat-soaked clothes, they felt a bit of a chill.

"Ka-kah, ka-kah—"

Gastly was also taking deep breaths, clearly relieved to be out of the suffocating heat of Mt. Chimney.

"Looks like the issue's been resolved."

A calm voice came from nearby.

Only then did Johan and Steven notice Flannery standing with an older man, his hair gray but his posture tall and imposing. He wore round-framed glasses and looked to be in excellent shape.

Flannery caught their gaze and winked playfully.

"Master Mura?" Steven said, testingly, as if recognizing the old man.

The old man nodded seriously, "I'm no longer part of the Elite Four. I'm now the Gym Leader of Lavaridge Town."

Johan and Steven exchanged a glance, neither betraying much emotion.

"Gym Leader Mura," they both greeted respectfully.

"Hmm." Mura nodded, clearly satisfied, though a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Grandpa, your smile is showing," Flannery interrupted, teasingly.

"Didn't I tell you not to go running up Mt. Chimney whenever you feel like it?" Mura's voice suddenly rose, launching into a stern lecture. "It's dangerous, especially taking those treacherous paths!"

Mura's scolding seemed endless, but Flannery remained unfazed, standing beside him with a bored expression and even casually picking at her ear.

"Ka-kah?"

Gastly floated near Johan's head.

This guy was an Elite Four member? It doesn't seem like much.

Johan shot Gastly a sidelong glance, then turned his attention back to Mura, who had stopped lecturing his granddaughter. His expression shifted when Flannery muttered, "Dad used to take me here all the time."

Mura's face showed a complex range of emotions, but he quickly turned his attention to Johan.

"You must be Teacher Johan, correct? Thank you for taking care of Flannery."

To Johan's surprise, the former Elite Four member and current Gym Leader bowed deeply, a full ninety degrees.

Johan quickly stepped forward, helping Mura up. "You're too kind, Gym Leader Mura. I'm just doing what a teacher should do."

Mura sighed. "You wouldn't understand. Flannery's been a handful since she was a child..."

Mura then began recounting Flannery's childhood stories with surprising enthusiasm.

Like the time she accidentally got her hair singed by a Slugma, or when she sat on the back of a Torkoal and burned herself.

"Grandpa!"

Embarrassed, Flannery's face turned beet red. She immediately dashed down the mountain, leaving the rest of them behind.

"Flannery, get back here! Grandpa's not done talking!" Mura shouted after her, clearly concerned, and hurried to chase her.

"Ka-kah?" Gastly floated near Johan.

They're kind of alike, huh?

Kind of? They're exactly the same, Johan thought with a wry smile.

In Lavaridge Gym, Mura, Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, and Johan's group were gathered in the reception room.

After listening to Johan and Steven's account of the events, Mura seemed a bit surprised but also as though he had expected it.

"So you encountered Heatran?" Mura asked.

"What's a Heatran?" Flannery interrupted.

"Did you know about that Heatran, Gym Leader Mura?" Johan asked in return.

He had suspected as much. Heatran's lack of hostility and even faint kindness toward them had suggested that it had prior interactions with someone from the town—likely Mura.

"What is a Heatran?" Flannery asked again, louder this time.

"Let's just say we've crossed paths before. Heatran is the guardian of Mt. Chimney," Mura explained, taking a deep breath before sipping his tea. He didn't seem eager to elaborate further.

"That explains it." Johan nodded, also sipping his tea.

He had no interest in pressing the matter.

"But seriously, what's a Heatran?" Flannery's frustration was growing as she pulled at her hair.

Steven chuckled softly and explained, "It's a mythical Pokémon—Heatran, the Lava Dome Pokémon."

Flannery's eyes lit up at the mention of a mythical Pokémon.

Meanwhile, Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny had completed their initial treatment and examination of the weakened Camerupt.

"Excuse me, but I'll need to take this one back to the Pokémon Center for further care," Nurse Joy said gently, her voice soft and soothing. The Chansey by her side nodded in agreement.

"We'll also investigate the cause of Camerupt's rampage," Officer Jenny added. "Thank you for your assistance. A formal letter of thanks will be sent to your academy in a few days."

Compared to Nurse Joy's warmth, Officer Jenny was much more serious.

As the two prepared to leave, Johan hesitated briefly before speaking.

"Officer Jenny, I have a hunch—perhaps this Camerupt might be linked to the giant Graveler that was found outside Mauville City."

"Oh?" Officer Jenny looked intrigued. "Do you have additional information, Teacher Johan?"

Johan shook his head. "It's just a theory. I hope it doesn't interfere with your investigation."

Officer Jenny gave him a deep look before nodding. "We'll coordinate with the Mauville City Police for a possible information exchange."

That night, in a twin room on the third floor of the Lavaridge Town Pokémon Center:

"Here you go." Johan tossed a small, purple sphere to Gastly.

It was the Toxic Orb.

"Ka-kah!" Gastly's eyes lit up, and it caught the orb in its mouth, eagerly licking the surface with its tongue.

It could feel that this Toxic Orb would greatly enhance its Poison-type abilities!

However, after licking for a while, Gastly suddenly paused.

"Ka-kah?!"

Wait, how did they even get this back?

Hearing Gastly's question, Johan nonchalantly replied, "Oh, Nurse Joy used a machine to retrieve it."

Gastly stared at him, but couldn't find any sign of deceit in Johan's expression.

Is that true?

But then Gastly noticed Johan removing a pair of white gloves and tossing them into the trash.

Gastly froze.

A second later:

"Ka-kah!!"

I don't need this tongue anymore!