Giovanni's Consultation

Out on the open sea, near the Hoenn region.

Inside the cabin of a large wooden sailing ship.

"Master."

A young man with short, dark green hair walked in, holding a report with a slightly puzzled expression.

"Hmm?"

Drake looked up from playing with a Swablu.

"It's a reimbursement report from Mr. Johan sent by the Kanaz Police Department, along with information on the recent wild Pokémon rampage in Petalburg Woods."

Drake paused, then burst into a hearty laugh.

"Johan, huh? Let me see."

Taking the documents, he skimmed over them, and his expression soon mirrored that of his disciple, Fitzwilliam, who had brought him the report.

As if confirming what he read, he asked:

"He used 500 Sitrus Berries, 300 Pecha Berries, and 200 Cheri Berries in a single battle? Is his Pokémon a Snorlax?"

Fitzwilliam pressed his lips together, his mouth twitching slightly as he replied:

"Mr. Johan says his Haunter's appetite rivals that of a Snorlax and would be even more outrageous if it were allowed to eat freely. He has also 'taken into account' the burden on the League."

Drake raised an eyebrow.

"Then what about these 50 Potions, 30 Super Potions, 5 Full Restores, and 10 Antidotes? What's that all about?"

Fitzwilliam blinked at his master, Drake, the two of them staring at each other in silence.

Finally, Fitzwilliam forced himself to explain:

"Apparently… Mr. Johan's Vulpix sustained considerable injuries while fighting a particularly powerful Shiftry."

Drake put the "reimbursement report" down on the table, deciding not to read further, and simply asked:

"Is there more?"

"Yes… Mr. Johan says that calming down the frenzied wild Pokémon that remain will require a lot of energy, so he hopes…"

Fitzwilliam paused before continuing:

"…if possible, he could be provided with some 'nutritional drinks,' 'Moomoo Milk,' or even 'Technical Machines.' Failing that, a few more berries would do."

Drake repeated, "A few more berries would do," and then laughed.

"This guy! Did he actually take on fifty or sixty wild Pokémon alone?"

"Well… yes, pretty much."

"Hmm?"

After choosing his words carefully, Fitzwilliam continued:

"The report says that in the Petalburg Woods rampage, Mr. Johan almost singlehandedly faced forty or so wild Pokémon, including strong ones like Shiftry and Mightyena."

Drake's eyes narrowed slightly.

He picked up another report and skimmed it, paying particular attention to the entries on the stronger wild Pokémon, like Shiftry and Mightyena, which left him looking a bit surprised.

He'd met Johan, as well as his Pokémon.

At the time, though, Johan hadn't left Drake with any impression regarding his strength.

"His improvement is… quite fast," Drake murmured.

"Master, should we ask Mr. Johan to revise this 'reimbursement report' a bit?" Fitzwilliam suggested.

Such an expense would never get approved by the League, especially with Champion Phoebe handling the finances.

"Revise it? Revise what?"

Drake's eyes widened.

Slam!

He slapped his hand on the desk.

"I'm approving this report as it is."

"R-really?"

Fitzwilliam's expression went blank.

With a smile, Drake handed the report back to Fitzwilliam and said:

"Add a zero to every number on this report, then send it to Phoebe. Didn't we encounter a storm and an attack not too long ago? Just report it as such."

This was Drake's specialty: increasing "benefits" for his investigators through reimbursements.

The hardships they experienced were well worth such "benefits."

Recently, he had found a new "route" for reimbursements.

Thursday, clear skies.

After work, Johan took his three Pokémon to the supermarket, bought a variety of ingredients, and planned a feast for them that evening.

On the way home.

"Ka-kah?"

Haunter, carrying two big bags of groceries, looked curious.

Was today a special occasion to splurge like this?

Johan chuckled and said:

"V me fifty."

"Ka-kah?"

What?

Then Johan added:

"No, it's not any special occasion. There's nothing to commemorate or celebrate—I just felt like it."

Sometimes, life is like an impromptu trip; you don't need too many reasons or excuses. When you feel like doing something, you do it.

Life may seem calm on the surface, but it's really made up of countless small, ordinary moments.

Haunter gave a nod, half-understanding.

To Haunter, the reason wasn't important.

What mattered was living together with Johan and, of course, tonight's feast.

With that thought, Haunter floated around excitedly.

When they arrived downstairs…

A familiar Dragonite sat by the flower bed, holding a small flower and sniffing it gently with closed eyes.

"Ka-kah."

Haunter snickered quietly, trying to sneak up on it.

But Dragonite's antenna twitched, and it quickly noticed Johan and Haunter, standing up and hiding the flower behind its back.

"Woo~ (,,ω,,')"

Its cheeks turned pink.

But it remembered its purpose, patting its bag to indicate it had a delivery for Johan.

Judging by the size, it seemed to be quite a large delivery.

"Is this the reimbursement?" Johan's eyes brightened. "Ah, Champion Drake, you really get me."

Inviting Dragonite to join them, Johan and Haunter led it upstairs.

One by one, Dragonite pulled the items from its bag, piling them into a small mountain in the room.

Haunter, Vulpix, and Tinkatink looked on, drooling.

Didn't he say there was nothing to celebrate?

Isn't this like hitting the jackpot?

"Woo~" Dragonite wiped its forehead after unloading everything.

Johan promptly handed it a handful of energy cubes.

Looking around, Dragonite glanced at Johan before happily popping the cubes into its mouth.

Dragonite: (っ)

"How about staying for dinner? I made plenty," Johan offered with a smile.

"Woo…"

Dragonite looked at the time and, though tempted, had to refuse because of its duties.

"No worries; there'll be other chances. Next time, if you schedule my delivery last, I'll treat you to dinner."

Johan patted the somewhat disappointed Dragonite, feeling its smooth, chubby scales.

Gotta say, it felt nice.

He handed it another box of energy cubes.

"Woo!!"

"Wait, wait! No need to get so excited—Dragonite! Dragonite?"

Crack—

If Haunter and the others hadn't "escaped" the mountain of supplies in time, Johan might've been "crushed" by Dragonite's enthusiastic hug.

Watching Dragonite fly away from the balcony, Johan rubbed his shoulder and sighed.

"These powerhouse rookies… they're really something else."

Then Johan got to work:

"Haunter, help Vulpix and Tinkatink organize the supplies. I'll start on dinner."

With such a large reimbursement, Haunter and the others would be well-stocked for a while.

He'd even recently exchanged contact info with the elderly couple from the farm, so he could buy ordinary berries from them at good quality and a lower price.

"Dinner's ready."

A table full of delicious food filled the room with an enticing aroma.

Haunter and the others didn't need to be called; they were already seated around the table, waiting.

But they didn't dare start eating without Johan's permission.

Click—

After snapping a picture and posting it online, Johan finally said:

"Well then… let's dig in!"

"Ka-kah!"

"Oowu!"

"Chu!"

[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: Looks tasty. (Gengar drooling.jpg)

Johan chuckled.

[Grain in the Field]: Come on over, then.

[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: I'll be there. (Garchomp flying.jpg)

[Grain in the Field]: (Gengar shocked.jpg)

[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: Just kidding. (Gengar laughing.jpg)

[Psychic Girl]: Who knew you could actually cook? Hmph! I'll definitely get better than you!

[Bird on the Ground]: How did you make that beef and miso pork bone soup? Please teach me~~

When Johan set his phone aside, he noticed that the dishes on the table were already half gone, despite it only having been three minutes!

Quickly, he grabbed his bowl and chopsticks, joining the "battle."

"The last piece of rib…"

"Ka-kah!!"

"Don't take the whole bowl, Tinkatink! Let me have a sip!"

"Chu~~ glug glug glug—"

"Vulpix."

"Oowu? Gulp—"

"…"

After eating their fill, Johan and his three Pokémon gathered in front of the TV to watch a movie.

But just as they finished picking what to watch, Johan's phone buzzed with a new message.

[King of The Earth]: Are you busy? If you have a moment, could you help me check on a Pokémon?

Hmm?

Giovanni?

Johan stared at the message in surprise.

Giovanni wanted him to check on a Pokémon?

Then he remembered that he was Giovanni's personal advisor in Pokémon psychology, so it wasn't too strange…

But…

Johan had initially thought his role as Giovanni's

advisor was specifically for Mewtwo.

After all, Giovanni's ability to raise Pokémon was well-known.

His book Secrets of the Land alone made him stand out among trainers specializing in Ground-types.

But since Giovanni—no, the Gym Leader Giovanni—had made the request, Johan couldn't refuse.

[Grain in the Field]: Which Pokémon is it? Are there any noticeable symptoms or odd behaviors?

Giovanni replied with a photo of a Nidoqueen.

However, the Nidoqueen in the picture looked lethargic, sitting listlessly on the ground.

[Grain in the Field]: This is…

A photo alone didn't reveal much.

[King of The Earth]: She seems to be heartbroken.

Heart… broken?

Johan opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.

Nidoqueen and Nidoking are a paired Pokémon species, with only female Nidoqueen and male Nidoking.

If you encounter Nidoran in the wild, it's common to see a Nidoking and Nidoqueen as a pair.

Sometimes, you may even see two Nidoking fighting over a Nidoqueen, or two Nidoqueen battling for a Nidoking.

[King of The Earth]: In this batch of Nidoqueen and Nidoking, there's a numerical imbalance. She's quite capable but likely lost when competing for a mate.

[King of The Earth]: I'm not very good at handling matters like this.

Giovanni admitted honestly.

It was a bit outside his field of expertise.

But it's not exactly Johan's specialty, either… he thought wryly.

It was Johan's first time dealing with a case of a heartbroken Pokémon.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't necessarily a psychological issue, but it could lead to various mental health problems down the road.

In fact, heartbroken Pokémon cases weren't uncommon, especially when they involved unrequited love across species…

Well then.

[Grain in the Field]: I'll give it a try.

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My bad for the mistranslation, I didn't recognize the name at first but after researching it, yeah it is Fitzwilliam.

Powerstones?

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