"Ka-kah, ka-kah, ka-kah~~"
In a restaurant not far from Rustboro Gym, Haunter was feasting with gusto, his previously pallid face visibly regaining its color.
"So full of energy," Diantha remarked, adjusting her sunglasses as she watched him.
Johan, however, glanced at the stacks of plates piling up on the table and couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his brow.
Full of energy?
Haunter had given Johan quite the scare when they'd left the Gym.
Without saying a word, he'd started turning pale.
For a mont, Johan thought Nosepass's magnetic field interference had sohow triggered a "trade evolution" condition for Haunter.
But on second thought, if Nosepass had interfered with Haunter's magnetism, the evolution would have happened mid-battle.
As it turned out, Haunter's pallor was just a side effect of using too much energy.
"Had thinking he'd mutated," Johan muttered, slightly embarrassed.
"Mutation isn't likely, but evolution is possible," Cynthia suggested with a smile, stroking Vulpix's fur.
"If I rember correctly, Haunter requires a trade or a special magnetic field to evolve. Roxanne's Nosepass alone wouldn't be enough."
At the ntion of evolution, Johan frowned a bit.
Haunter needed a trade or a magnetic field, and Vulpix needed an Ice Stone.
Noticing his thoughts, Cynthia spoke up again, "Professor Carolina has a communicator that Mr. Bill sent over. If you need it, I can put in a word for you."
Then she added, "Though the magnetic field isn't very stable, so you'll need so luck."
Johan rembered that communicators and Pokémon storage systems had been inventions pioneered by Bill. At this point in ti, such devices probably weren't perfected yet.
Still, it was an option.
But if Haunter's evolution failed, the magnetic instability could end up harming him.
Once Haunter was full and had regained his strength, the three left the restaurant.
Cynthia then ntioned she and Diantha were heading for Sootopolis City.
"You'll be there, right?"
Counting the days, the "Youth Cup" would be starting soon.
Since it was an exhibition match, they needed to familiarize themselves with the venue and make an appearance.
"I think I'll go," Johan replied.
After all, his holiday was nearly over, and once school was back in session, he'd be busy with midterms.
As a teacher, he still hadn't even prepared the exam papers.
Though given his class schedule, sneaking away for a day or two shouldn't be an issue.
After all, he had three invitations. Not going would be quite rude.
In the end, Johan watched as Cynthia and Diantha took off on Garchomp.
He couldn't help feeling a bit envious. Having a Pokémon that could fly and carry passengers was quite convenient—no need to buy plane tickets.
When he got ho, Johan sat down at his computer, ready to finalize the midterm exam.
His class was mostly theory-based, with a lot of content to morize and review, so preparing the test was actually quite simple.
But before he got started, he took out the Stone Badge and the two TMs from Rustboro Gym and placed them on his desk.
"Gotta admit, they're pretty well-made," he mused, admiring the badge's quality—an official Hoenn League item had to be top-notch.
"Better keep it safe; wouldn't want Tinkatink trying to smash it. I might even get more badges down the line for a nice little collection..."
As for the two TMs...
"Gym TMs are definitely different from the ones from the departnt store or online... Wait, what's this?"
Johan noticed a small compartnt in the TMs, which, when opened, revealed two tiny booklets.
He picked one up and opened it.
"To better master this move, pair it with Rock Incense, Hard Stone fragnts..."
Snap!
He quickly closed the booklet.
Turning around, he saw Haunter and the others huddled together, whispering about sothing and not paying him any attention. Relieved, he opened the booklets again to skim them quickly, his heart sinking.
The Gym-issued TMs included instruction manuals!
Not only did they have insights from the Gym's personal understanding and usage of the move, but also advice on how to strengthen the move and maximize its power!
This was outrageous...
If he hadn't seen these, he might've been able to hold back. But now that he had... How could he resist making his Pokémon stronger?
And if he couldn't resist, his already-depleted bank account would take a serious hit!
Across the room...
"Chu!"
Back at ho, Tinkatink snuck over to Haunter and Vulpix.
"Ka-kah?"
"Oowu?"
Both Haunter and Vulpix were always very patient and protective of their newly-hatched teammate.
With a look of mystery, Tinkatink beckoned them closer, gesturing for them to co in for a secret.
Haunter and Vulpix exchanged glances, then moved closer.
The three Pokémon ford a tight huddle, heads touching.
"Chu, Chu!"
Tada!
Tinkatink held out her hand, revealing a dark blue stone in her pink palm that seed to emit a faint magnetic pull.
"Ka-kah?!"
Nosepass's stone?!
Recognizing it instantly, Haunter opened his mouth to exclaim but quickly clapped a hand over it.
Tinkatink looked proud, pointing at Haunter, then the stone.
"Chu!"
Her aning was clear—didn't Haunter need a special magnetic field to evolve?
This stone was magnetic!
"Ka-kah~~ (ノ_
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