Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 443: Return and Planning

Sinnoh, Twinleaf Town.

Pokémon Courtyard.

The green forest swayed with the wind, clear streams flowed gently, and the sound of a grassy flute echoed through the garden.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Gengar rubbed its palms together, forming a dark sphere in its hand.

At first glance, it looked like a Shadow Ball.

But in reality—

There was something sinister about it.

"No... wait." Darkrai held its forehead. "Is that really how you form spheres?"

"Ka-kaah?" Gengar tilted its head.

What's wrong with it?

"Hmph... Well, I suppose it's fine. It does seem a bit faster to execute, and the energy is more concentrated." Darkrai glanced sideways.

Somehow—

Even though Darkrai was the one teaching Gengar Dark Void...

It felt like Darkrai was the one learning new techniques instead.

Still, it had to admit—

Gengar's expertise in hypnosis far exceeded its expectations.

Because of that—

Gengar didn't feel much need for Dark Void, and its enthusiasm for learning was lacking.

"Alright, then."

After some thought, Darkrai said:

"I'll teach you something... flashy."

It formed a Dark Void in its hands.

Then—

The Dark Void suddenly expanded, swallowing Darkrai itself.

A moment later—

Gengar was pulled into the void as well.

Inside the Dark Void—

Gengar quickly realized that its movement had been heavily restricted.

Its body felt sluggish, its mobility was compromised—

And attacking was nearly impossible.

"Ka-kaah?"

But instead of panicking—

Gengar's eyes lit up.

This move...

It was interesting!

Seeing that Gengar was finally intrigued, Darkrai let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Finally, it's interested.

"Want me to teach you?"

"Ka-kaah! Ka-kaah!"

Gengar nodded rapidly.

"Then you need to master Dark Void first. This is just an advanced application."

"Ka-kaah!"

Gengar pounded its chest.

Bring it on!

Sitting on the grass nearby, Johan watched with a strange expression.

You really dare to teach this, huh...?

That move...

It was the same technique Darkrai had used in the movie, where it shielded itself from Roar of Time and Spacial Rend, then immobilized Dialga and Palkia to buy time for Ash.

If Gengar learned this...

Wouldn't his entire house disappear?!

"Dinner's ready!" Johan quickly called out.

"Yoji! (ˊˋ)"

Larvitar rolled over, jumped to its feet, and dashed toward Johan.

The other Pokémon followed immediately, including—

"Whoosh!"

Darkrai, who had been teaching Gengar just a moment ago...

Suddenly teleported to Johan's side.

Johan glanced at Darkrai.

Darkrai looked away, scoffing.

"It's a work meal."

Teaching Gengar was a job—

So food should be included.

Johan chuckled.

He handed over a box of Pokéblocks and some homemade snacks.

Darkrai grabbed it as fast as Larvitar did.

"Have you thought about it?"

Darkrai casually popped a Pokéblock into its mouth.

"I don't mind fighting for you. But acting..."

It didn't see itself as acting material.

Besides—

It was comfortable living in Twinleaf Town.

This place was filled with memories.

After the battle, the townspeople had accepted it.

Now, it wanted to protect Twinleaf Town.

Though—

If the film location was in Twinleaf Town, it might consider it...

"Deal!" Johan suddenly grinned.

Darkrai: "???"

Deal?

Wait, what did I just agree to?!

Johan smirked. "You just said it yourself—fighting is fine."

Darkrai blinked.

Then, it locked eyes with Johan, its gaze firm.

"That's my promise."

After a pause—

It added solemnly:

"If you ever need me to fight for you—I will be there."

Its voice was resolute.

"Are you sure?" Johan raised an eyebrow.

Darkrai's eyes narrowed. "You doubt me?"

"No, that's not it." Johan waved his hand.

He believed in Darkrai's promise.

This was—

A Darkrai strong enough to take on Dialga and Palkia.

"I just mean... if I ever do need you, our opponent won't be easy."

Darkrai snorted.

"As long as it's not Arceus, I'll take them down!"

Johan's smile deepened.

"But what if—hypothetically—our opponent is Arceus?"

Darkrai: "?!"

Johan's expression turned odd.

It wasn't that he expected to fight Arceus.

But at this rate—

It seemed highly likely.

Arceus's awakening had already begun.

He had encountered Giratina, Dialga, and Palkia.

Unown had marked him as significant.

It was hard to believe he wouldn't end up crossing paths with Arceus eventually.

Not to mention—

Cynthia, Flint, Looker, Aaron—

All his friends were in Sinnoh.

Avoiding Arceus felt...

Unrealistic.

Darkrai huffed.

"Tch. Like you'd actually fight Arceus."

Then, after a pause—

It gritted its teeth.

"Even if it is Arceus, I'll buy you three minutes!"

Johan laughed.

"Then I'm relieved."

For some reason—

Darkrai suddenly felt like it had been tricked.

...He wouldn't really end up fighting Arceus... right?

"Ka-kaah!!"

Johan's sudden shout snapped Darkrai out of its thoughts.

It turned—

And its face froze.

Gengar had just created an enormous Dark Void.

Darkrai: Σ(дlll)

It whipped its head toward Johan, its eyes pleading:

"Stop it!"

Johan gave it a deadpan look.

And whose fault is that?

"Too late. Can't stop it."

Johan shrugged. "Not my house anyway."

Darkrai: F*.**

Under the wisteria pergola, Cynthia sat gracefully, flipping through ancient texts from Twinleaf Town's library.

These books were brought by Tonio.

His great-grandfather was the legendary Godey, so his family had preserved many ancient writings.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

She answered.

A familiar voice came through.

"Is everything truly over?"

It was Elite Four Bertha.

Her voice sounded tired.

"Are you all safe?"

Cynthia smiled. "We're fine. It's all over."

Bertha was silent for a moment, then asked cautiously:

"So... is everything really like what's been spreading online?"

At that moment—

Flint was squatting on a railing, chatting on his phone.

His voice was dramatic:

"Yup, Looker, it's exactly like they said! Johan one-punched Dialga and Palkia!"

"I was right there, man! He just—BAM! One punch, and BOOM! Down they went!"

"Hey, Looker? You still there? Listen, I'm telling you, that day was—"

Cynthia chuckled.

The rumors online had spiraled out of control.

Thanks to Baron Albert and Flint, the story had grown.

At first, it was just:

"Johan took on Dialga and Palkia alone."

Then it became:

"Johan fought them with his bare hands."

And now—

"Johan one-punched the Twin Dragons."

The more exaggerated it got—

The more people believed it.

Three people repeating a lie made it the truth.

And since Johan was already known as a Fighting-type expert, the rumor stuck.

Even now—

People had started calling him:

"One Punch Trainer."

"Brawling Fist."

"My Punch, Twenty Years of Training."

Johan muted his phone.

He couldn't be bothered anymore.

That was also why most of the phone calls had started going to Cynthia and Flint instead.

Cynthia replied, "Well... there are some exaggerations, but... it's not entirely inaccurate."

She glanced toward Johan—

Who was currently pinning Gengar down, preventing it from wreaking havoc with its Dark Void experiments.

Cynthia smiled.

"...Not too far off, I suppose."

Bertha: "..."

"So in reality, Johan used strategy to restrain Dialga and Palkia and then managed to de-escalate the battle through negotiation?"

That was something Bertha could believe.

"Yes." Cynthia nodded.

Bertha let out a deep sigh of relief.

"It seems Johan's understanding of Pokémon psychology is truly unmatched in the world."

Even furious Legendary Pokémon could be calmed by him.

What other Pokémon psychologist could boast such a feat?

"Mmm." Cynthia nodded again.

And it wasn't just Dialga and Palkia—

Even Darkrai, one of the strongest and most feared Mythicals, had completely bonded with Johan.

Or rather—

Had literally fought with him, side by side.

Because at that moment—

Johan, after subduing Gengar, had turned around and gotten into another scuffle—

With Darkrai.

After hanging up, Bertha slumped back in her chair, exhausted.

Being an Elite Four in Sinnoh was a nightmare these days.

Especially recently.

Regigigas awakening.

The Lily of the Valley Conference.

Dialga and Palkia's battle.

Compared to all of that, the Pokémon Hunter crisis almost felt like a minor issue.

And now—

She had another problem to deal with.

What kind of reward should the Sinnoh League give Johan?

Because this event wasn't just about Dialga and Palkia.

There was also—

Mega Evolution.

But the "Johan one-punched the Twin Dragons" headline had been so overwhelmingly popular that it had actually overshadowed Mega Evolution.

This...

This was basically Johan vs. Mega Evolution.

Of course—

Once the hype around the Twin Dragons incident faded, Mega Evolution would become a long-term topic of interest.

Some of the more perceptive trainers had already begun searching for Mega Stones and Key Stones.

Meanwhile, Pokémon research labs around the world had rushed to organize discussions on Mega Evolution research.

Not that any of this affected Johan—

Since he had muted his phone and was actively ignoring all of it.

Instead, all the inquiries were now being handled by Professor Sycamore.

That wasn't all.

Several trainers had become particularly invested in the subject—

Including one from Kalos.

Shalour City's Gym Leader—

Korrina.

At that moment, she was training with her Lucario, focusing on Mega Evolution mastery.

After seeing the news about Mega Evolution—

And the headlines about Johan one-punching the Twin Dragons—

She had become especially excited.

As the descendant of Kalos' ancient Mega Evolution lineage, as well as a Fighting-type Gym Leader, she was determined to master Mega Evolution with her Lucario.

"Grandpa, when can we visit Johan-sensei?"

January 30th.

Clear skies.

After resting in Twinleaf Town for a few days, Johan was preparing to return to Hoenn.

Why?

Because—

School was about to start!

Outside Twinleaf Town—

A League-assigned private jet was already waiting.

"Johan-sensei, I'll miss you!" Flint grinned. "I'll come visit you in Hoenn when I get the chance!"

"Yeah! And when I do, we're having a battle!" Bruno flashed a thumbs-up, his pearly white teeth gleaming.

Johan's expression twitched.

Time to leave—fast!

He boarded the plane, closed the hatch, and waved at Cynthia outside the window.

Sinnoh—

A land of endless trouble.

As the plane took off, Twinleaf Town grew smaller and smaller in his view.

From above—

R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.

He spotted Darkrai, standing atop the Space-Time Tower, watching his departure in silence.

"Phew—"

Johan leaned back into his seat, exhaling deeply.

It was finally over.

This five-million Pokédollar mission...

Hadn't been worth it.

He might as well have just competed in the Pokémon League.

Unfortunately—

Now that his Trainer rank had increased, he could no longer participate in regular League tournaments.

It felt like—

Playing a game, discovering an exploit to farm rare materials, and just when he started grinding efficiently—

The developers patched the bug.

"Ugh. Guess I need to plan out my team's training next."

January had been an extremely busy month.

While his Pokémon hadn't neglected their training, they had also been thrown into high-difficulty battles.

Still—

Johan, being a meticulous planner, felt there were some areas that needed improvement.

Gengar was already the strongest Pokémon on his team.

Under normal circumstances—

It had combat power on par with an Elite Four's ace Pokémon.

With Mega Evolution—

It could even challenge some veteran Elite Four members.

However—

With Mega Evolution becoming widespread, this advantage wouldn't last forever.

Fortunately—

Gengar had mastered a lot of unconventional moves.

With the right strategy—

It could even cause trouble for a Champion's main team.

Given its wide movepool, Johan decided—

After Dark Void, he would have Gengar learn moves from different types to expand its versatility.

As for Ninetales—

Its Ice-type abilities were already top-notch, so the focus should be on refining its Fairy-type skills.

Ideally—

Johan wanted to find a Fairy-type expert to mentor it.

However—

Since the Fairy-type was only discovered recently, there were very few Fairy-type specialists in the world.

Arceus itself was missing its Fairy-type Plate...

At present, the only known Fairy-type specialists were:

Valerie, the Laverre City Gym Leader in Kalos.

And Opal, the Ballonlea Gym Leader in Galar.

"Maybe I should ask Giovanni if he has any connections..."

Johan considered.

Or—

Maybe his school's headmaster had better connections in this area.

"I'll ask when I get back."

As for Dragonite—

This time, it had used Dual Outrage for the first time.

But—

It had almost lost control.

Mastering Dual Outrage was far more difficult than using it once.

But if it could fully master it—

It might be able to challenge some Elite Four aces head-on.

Then there was Tinkaton.

Like Dragonite—

Tinkaton had also received a Legendary Dragon's scale.

For now—

Their priority was simply adapting to their new power.

With this upgrade—

Their "Dragon Knight" combo had become an absolute Dragon-type killer.

This Sinnoh journey had brought the biggest change to one Pokémon in particular—

Kubfu.

It had finally evolved into Urshifu.

As a Legendary Pokémon, Urshifu's power boost was significant.

But since it had just evolved, it still needed time to fully adapt to its new form.

Johan was also thinking—

Was there a way to combine its Single Strike and Rapid Strike forms?

A move that combined Surging Strikes and Wicked Blow...

Who could possibly withstand that kind of devastating combo?

Johan continued planning.

As he gazed out the plane window, he murmured—

"I need a new source of income..."

The Pokémon League tournaments were no longer an option.

He had to find another way.

"If only... I had a Diancie."

Or—

Any Pokémon that could generate gemstones and rare metals.

"What Pokémon produce minerals...?"

----------

Powerstones?

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