Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 408: This Strategy Is Called "Reckless"!

5 bonus Chapter's coming out at 11 AM EST. So I ask that you save you're powerstones until then.

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January 19th, early morning.

"Why are my dreams getting weirder again?"

Johan sat on his bed, deep in thought.

Last night, in his dream, Gengar suddenly shouted, "Henshin!" and the entire scene shifted into something bizarre.

He had to admit, though—Gengar looked pretty cool back then. That little red cape really gave it a card-art aesthetic.

But then, things got even weirder.

Gengar, now looking like something straight out of a trading card, grabbed a shoulder pole, teamed up with an Ninetales dressed as Snow White, and led a gang—including Tinkaton, Dragonite, Kubfu, Charcadet, and Larvitar—to start moving mountains.

And then... a whole mining mountain just took off.

"This has to be because I just caught Larvitar. Thinking about it all day has made me dream about it at night... I'm under way too much stress."

Johan let out a long sigh.

Other people made high-grade Pokéblocks and enjoyed a steady stream of income.

Him? He was barely managing to keep his little food-loving team fed.

"Alright, time to get up."

He threw off his blanket and hugged Ninetales, giving it a few firm rubs until the little one let out a slightly disgruntled whimper. Only then did Johan, grinning, get out of bed.

The first thing he did was check on Larvitar.

He found the little one curled up inside a container that looked like a Poké Ball—a mix between a cup and a bowl. Seeing this, he sighed in relief.

Thank goodness. At least it hadn't started chewing on the house yet. No random bite marks, no missing bricks.

After all, a refined Larvitar baby couldn't just eat anything.

That said, the "emergency food supply" he'd prepared in the container was completely wiped out overnight.

On the bright side...

That red-and-white ball-like container had become both Larvitar's food bowl and its bed. That saved some money, right?

Noticing Johan's gaze, Larvitar rubbed its eyes, stretched its tiny body, and let out a long yawn.

"Yoji~ (ˊ〇ˋ*)"

The Hungry Dragon Roars!

Great. One blink, and another pile of food was gone.

But there was nothing he could do.

Larvitar was just too cute.

"Alright, little one, time to get up."

"Yoji!"

Larvitar nodded, wiggled its little hands, flailed its tiny legs, and wobbled out of its "bed-bowl"—only to faceplant onto the floor with a plop.

The little guy, however, didn't seem to feel any pain at all. It just stood up, patted the dust off its backside, and stared expectantly at Johan.

No need to say a word—the meaning was clear.

Hungry!

Johan's eye twitched.

"First, brush your teeth. Clean teeth mean sharp teeth. Sharp teeth mean better eating."

Larvitar tilted its head, somewhat understanding.

As for teaching the little guy how to brush its teeth? That job was going to Gengar, who also had a solid set of chompers.

Aside from Ninetales, practically all of Johan's Pokémon had been personally trained by Gengar in the art of dental hygiene. It had plenty of experience.

Right on cue, Gengar had just returned from its morning run with Dragonite.

"Gengar, the toothbrushing job's on you."

"Ka-kaah! (＞Д＜)ゝ"

Gengar saluted.

Mission accepted!

But moments later, from the bathroom—

"Ka-kaah! (The toothbrush is gone!)"

"Ka-kaah! (The toothpaste is gone!)"

"Ka-kaah! (The cup is gone!)"

"...Ka-kaah. (The whole sink...)"

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

Johan smacked his forehead.

The Suzuran Conference – Grass Field

Johan was assigned to the grass battlefield. A big screen displayed the matchups, and the arena was already buzzing with excitement.

Among the crowd were plenty of Johan's fans—though their true intentions were questionable.

But as Johan often said, "Haters are still fans. Better a hater than a turncoat."

Whether it was the organizers' doing or just luck, Johan's match was scheduled first. Even before they entered the field, the audience was already roaring.

"Professor Johan! A real man doesn't need a second Pokémon!"

"We want to see strategy! It's been too long since we've seen strategy!"

"Why isn't there an unlimited battle format? Let Johan fight too!"

Clearly, most of the cheers were just hyping things up.

Johan chuckled. Come on, he wasn't Ash—what was this about unlimited battles?

If Ash got an unlimited format, he wouldn't even need to call out his Pokémon. Pikachu could just keep the show going forever.

"Wait... why does the name 'Dino' sound familiar?"

Flipping through the info Fitzwilliam had gathered, Johan thought for a moment.

Then it hit him.

Wasn't this guy the runner-up of the Ever Grande Conference the year Ash competed?

He had lost to Basil and his "Eevee Team" in the finals.

But that was still a few years away. Right now, Dino was still relatively inexperienced.

According to Fitzwilliam's research, he had only participated in the Johto League's Silver Conference once, where he placed in the Top 32.

"Running into someone familiar in Round One? Not a bad start."

"Now, let's welcome our two Trainers!"

The announcer's voice boomed through the stadium.

As the two Trainers walked onto the field from opposite tunnels, Johan remained calm, while Dino looked visibly tense.

He was wearing a black vest and a gray sleeveless coat, his fists clenched, expression serious.

His opponent was the famous "Baby Cup Slayer," Professor Johan—strength unknown, but always rising to the challenge.

Dino took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay composed.

No matter what...

At the very least, he had to show Professor Johan that he was no "baby"!

Dino's eyes sharpened with determination.

"Nice look. I like this kid," Flint said from the stands.

Fitzwilliam shot him a glance, adjusting his glasses with a smirk.

"You had an even sharper gaze when you first challenged Professor Johan."

"Huh? Did I? Hahahaha—"

Flint scratched his head awkwardly before quickly adding, "Next time! Next time I challenge Professor Johan, I'll definitely win!"

He sounded completely confident—probably because Johan wasn't there to hear him.

Click.

Fitzwilliam pressed a button on a recording device, waved it in front of Flint, and smiled meaningfully.

"You sneaky—! Fitzwilliam, you're so dirty!" Flint's eyes widened.

Fitzwilliam, on the other hand, looked unfazed. "Just a professional habit I've been developing."

"Bro~" Flint admitted defeat.

Cynthia simply smiled, staying out of their squabble.

On the Battlefield

"Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"

Dino tossed his Poké Ball. "Go, Chandelure!"

The chandelier-shaped Pokémon emerged, its main body bearing two yellow eyes. Wisps of eerie purple flames flickered atop its head and along its curved arms.

Johan, without hesitation, threw out his own Poké Ball.

"It's you, Charcadet!"

"Goka!!"

During the previous Indigo Conference, Johan hadn't yet caught this little one. But for the Suzuran Conference, Charcadet had eagerly volunteered to take the lead.

Not only to experience tournament battles, but also to show Larvitar what fighting the "Johan way" looked like.

Seeing Charcadet, Dino furrowed his brows slightly.

He had watched some of Johan's battles, especially from the Indigo Conference, but there wasn't much information on Charcadet.

"Battle, begin!"

At the referee's signal, Dino made the first move.

"Chandelure, Trick Room!"

A black field rapidly expanded outward from Chandelure, covering the entire battlefield.

"Alright! Straight into Trick Room—this one's playing the strategy game!"

"But Johan sent out Charcadet, so no Will-O-Wisp next turn!"

"Wait... are we sure Chandelure is actually slower than Charcadet?"

"!!"

That last question was a sharp one.

In the games, Chandelure had a base Speed of 80, while Charcadet had only 35. Trick Room would normally work against Charcadet.

But in the real world, base stats weren't everything.

Johan simply smiled.

To be honest, this Trick Room didn't affect this battle much...

But for the next one? That was another story.

"Charcadet, Astonish!"

As Chandelure cast Trick Room, Charcadet had already charged forward, flames flaring up, standing out against the black field.

Since he sent out Charcadet, Johan wasn't going to play strategy.

Or rather—his strategy was simple:

Go. All. In.

"Goka!!"

Its unwavering, aggressive stance made Chandelure's eyes shrink as it instinctively backed up.

"Flare Blitz!"

The moment Chandelure flinched, Johan seized the opportunity.

Blazing flames erupted around Charcadet as it slammed into Chandelure.

Dino gasped. "Chandelure, Shadow Ball!"

As a Fire/Ghost-type Pokémon, Chandelure wasn't taken down in one hit. Enduring Charcadet's flames, it quickly gathered a swirling mass of dark energy.

Boom!

At such close range, there was no way to dodge.

But Charcadet didn't even flinch. Taking the hit head-on, it raised both arms high.

Its glowing red arms and the flickering flames in its eyes showed its rising battle spirit.

"Flamethrower!"

Fwoosh!

In an instant, golden-tinged flames surged forth, engulfing Chandelure.

The flames scattered in all directions, and when they faded—

Chandelure lay on the ground, eyes swirling.

"Goka!!"

Charcadet raised its fists triumphantly, the fire around it burning even brighter as its vitality surged.

"Woah—this is a whole new side of Professor Johan! This battle style..."

"It's so reckless, but I love it!"

"No, no, you guys don't get it! That wasn't 'Flamethrower'—that was Overheat! Seriously!"

"On the outside, he's just charging in, but inside, he's totally calculated—yep, that's still the Professor Johan we know!"

Dino's expression twitched.

He never expected that the famous Professor Johan—renowned for his tactical prowess—wouldn't be playing the strategy game today.

It felt like punching a pillow.

You try playing aggressively, he goes for strategy.

You try playing strategy, he goes all-in aggressive.

And the worst part?

No matter which style he played—he still won.

But at least...

One Flare Blitz plus a Shadow Ball—Charcadet's condition should be pretty bad by now... right?

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Powerstones?

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