Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 348: Sinnoh Badge Collection Side Quest? (BONUS)

Fossils?

Fossils held no appeal for Johan.

Even if they were revived into Pokémon...

Aside from Aerodactyl, the rest were just okay—unless it was the adorably ugly Arctovish.

But Aerodactyl... Johan wasn't ready to raise one yet.

...Wait.

That's not right.

He might not care about fossils...

But his student, Steven, was obsessed with them.

If he could get his hands on a fossil that Steven didn't have, knowing Steven's personality, he'd probably repay him tenfold, maybe even a hundredfold!

Johan quickly shook his head.

As a teacher, he couldn't expect anything in return from his student.

This was just about getting Steven a gift.

Giving the Steven—a man who gifts rare stones left and right—a present?

That might just be a first in the entire Pokémon world.

Besides, they were just waiting here anyway.

So, Johan accepted Byron's challenge.

Given the nature of the battle, they agreed on a 1v1 match—winner takes all!

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Hearing there was a battle, Drake immediately perked up.

Gengar, on the other hand, plopped down beside Cynthia, pulled a bucket of popcorn out of its dimensional storage, and got ready to watch.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Gengar's eyes darted mischievously as it grinned and offered some popcorn to Cynthia.

Cynthia chuckled, not hesitating to take a few kernels after patting Gengar's head.

"Aren't you battling?" she asked between bites.

Gengar shrugged and pointed toward Tinkaton, who was warming up by doing push-ups with her hammer on her back.

Obviously, it wasn't his turn.

Tinkaton was already getting hyped.

Since Byron was a Steel-type Gym Leader, that meant it was her fight.

Cynthia nodded thoughtfully.

"Popcorn!"

Drake spotted the popcorn in Gengar's hands and reached over, only for Gengar to dodge.

Drake blinked in confusion.

Gengar rolled its eyes.

"Ka-kaah~!"

If you want some, go make your own!

Then it handed Cynthia another handful before munching on some itself.

Drake suddenly felt targeted.

Looker, however, was much smarter—he simply leaned against a stone pillar, arms crossed, not even sparing the popcorn a glance.

That stuff... was dangerous.

—

"Even though this is just a friendly match, I won't hold back!"

Byron, shovel in hand, spoke with a commanding presence.

Then, he tossed out a Poké Ball.

With a flash of red light—

A Bastiodon appeared, resembling an armored dinosaur with a heavy metal shield for a face. Dust swirled as it landed.

"Bastiodon, the Shield Pokémon. A Rock/Steel-type Pokémon revived from fossils. It has high defensive capabilities. Rotom~~"

Rotom Dex popped out from beside Gengar, providing information about Bastiodon.

But for ancient Pokémon, the Pokédex's data wasn't always complete.

"Cha!!"

Steel-type!

Tinkaton's eyes sparkled.

Johan smirked.

"You're up, Tinkaton."

"Cha!"

Tinkaton grinned, hoisting her hammer and stomping onto the battlefield.

"Garrr!"

Boom!

Sensing the threat, Bastiodon slammed its massive shield-like head onto the ground, standing firm like an ancient fortress.

The battle began!

Byron's battle demeanor instantly shifted—his previous eccentricity disappeared.

"Bastiodon, Iron Defense!"

Bastiodon already had absurd defenses, boasting a 168 base Defense stat—and even its Special Defense hit 138!

Of course, its incredible defenses came at the cost of poor Attack and Speed.

To maximize its strengths, defense-based tactics were the way to go.

"Garrr!"

Bastiodon's shield glowed with metallic light, further boosting its already sky-high Defense.

But almost simultaneously, Johan's voice rang out:

"Tinkaton, Swords Dance!"

The sharp clang of steel echoed as Tinkaton swung her hammer, a dark red aura forming a blade-like pattern around her.

One boosted Attack, the other boosted Defense—it seemed like they were back to square one.

"Johan's ability to read and counter his opponents' tactics is easily among the best in the Pokémon world."

Looker couldn't help but comment.

If it were Drake, he'd probably just charge in blindly.

That might work in the short term, but over time, the one who stacked more buffs would have the advantage.

Johan, however, seemed to already know how Byron would play.

He gave precise commands without hesitation—almost as if he were predicting Byron's every move.

Drake pouted.

"If it were me, I'd just use a big Fire Blast!"

See?

This was the difference between a brawler and a strategist.

—

Meanwhile, the battle continued.

"Bastiodon, Heavy Slam!"

[Heavy Slam: Damage increases based on the weight difference between the user and the target.]

Johan raised an eyebrow.

Using Heavy Slam on Tinkaton?

To Byron, it seemed like a logical choice.

Bastiodon was massive, covered in heavy metal plating, and he had trained it to be even heavier than usual.

Tinkaton?

A small, adorable pink gremlin.

How much could she possibly weigh?

One hit, and she'd probably cry for days.

...Right?

Johan's voice was calm.

"Block it."

"Cha~()"

Tinkaton smirked, raising her hammer single-handedly as Bastiodon charged.

BOOM!!

Bastiodon's massive shield slammed into Tinkaton's hammer with a thunderous impact.

But then...

Byron's eyes widened in disbelief.

Tinkaton didn't even budge.

Instead, Bastiodon staggered backward.

Bastiodon itself looked utterly dumbfounded.

...Who was the real fortress here?!

It felt like it had just crashed into a steel wall.

"Ka-kaah~(｀)σ"

Gengar pointed at Bastiodon and laughed.

You wanna compete in weight with our Tinkaton?

That hammer alone weighed more than most Pokémon.

"Cha!"

Tinkaton grinned and charged forward.

"Wide Guard!" Byron ordered.

Bastiodon quickly raised a massive protective barrier, preparing to block the attack.

A towering earth-toned energy wall appeared in front of it.

But then—

Tinkaton's eyes flashed mischievously.

Johan smirked.

"Feint."

Tinkaton pretended to swing her hammer—only to suddenly sidestep, looping behind Bastiodon in an instant!

She struck before Bastiodon could react.

"Johan's signature move—predictive reads," Looker murmured.

"It feels like Johan understands Byron really well," Lucian added.

Cynthia tucked her hair behind her ear.

"More like—Johan understands Byron's tactics really well."

Looker realized she was right.

After all, Johan's first viral video was of him commanding Skarmory against Lance's Aerodactyl.

That battle didn't just use Spikes—it incorporated Iron Defense + Body Press tactics, much like Byron's style.

And Feint not only broke Wide Guard—it also bypassed Bastiodon's Sturdy ability.

BANG!!

"Body Press!" Byron commanded.

As expected.

"Brick Break!"

Tinkaton swung her hammer down as Bastiodon lunged.

CRASH!!

A deep crack split across Bastiodon's shield-like face.

This was Tinkaton's chance!

"Finish it! Gigaton Hammer!"

"Cha!"

Tinkaton swung her hammer—slowly at first—then suddenly accelerating with incredible force.

The sheer weight and momentum warped the air around it.

Byron's face turned serious—he sensed the danger.

But danger... was also an opportunity.

"Bastiodon, Counter!"

If Bastiodon endured the hit, it could return double the damage!

But that was only if—

BOOM!!!

A meteor-like impact cratered the battlefield.

Dust exploded into the air.

Drake swallowed.

"...That was brutal."

If Bastiodon survived, the Counter damage would be catastrophic.

But as the dust cleared...

Bastiodon lay on the ground—KO'd in one hit!

A critical strike—instantly knocked out!

Tinkaton, meanwhile, was rummaging through the rubble.

"Cha..."

Where'd that piece of metal go?!

Byron was momentarily stunned—then he grinned.

"That was an amazing hit. We lost."

He handed Johan a Shieldon Fossil... and a Mine Badge.

Johan blinked.

...Did he just unlock a Sinnoh Badge Collection Side Quest?!

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Powerstones?

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