Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 459: The "Salt King’s" Code of Conduct

Garganacl, the Rock Salt Pokémon—a pure Rock-type Pokémon.

It was known by the grand title of "Salt King," or humorously, "Pickling Lord."

Its signature move, Salt Cure, had terrorized countless Pokémon in battle.

"Yoji...(╯▽╰)"

Larvitar gazed at the towering Garganacl that had just rumbled to its feet, mouth slightly open, eyes sparkling, and nearly drooling with excitement.

If one had to translate what Larvitar was thinking at that moment, it would be—

"It smells delicious."

Due to its natural understanding of minerals, combined with the special salt deposits on Garganacl's body, the creature's allure was far greater than that of the Wugtrio from earlier.

"Garrr!!"

Garganacl noticed Larvitar's drooling expression and instantly felt challenged. It roared in defiance.

"Yoji—!!"

Faced with such a "delicacy," Larvitar refused to back down, responding with a high-pitched but determined roar.

Seeing that this tiny Pokémon had some fighting spirit, Garganacl paused for a moment.

How dare it?

A surge of anger welled up inside it. It grabbed a rock, and a white, snow-like crystalline substance quickly spread over it before hurling it toward Larvitar.

Salt Cure!

A move that inflicted the Salt Cure status!

[Salt Cure Effect: At the end of each turn, the affected Pokémon loses 1/8 of its HP. If the target is Water- or Steel-type, the damage increases to 1/4 of its HP.]

Not only did it deal steady residual damage—akin to poison—but it was particularly devastating against Water- and Steel-types.

Additionally, Salt Cure was an offensive move with an extremely high accuracy rate, making it nearly impossible to avoid.

"Professor Johan, watch out!" Crystal called out in alarm.

Larvitar was so small...

But then she noticed Johan was smiling.

"Look, Larvitar is taking this very seriously," Johan said with a grin.

Huh?

Crystal turned to Larvitar and realized the little guy actually looked very serious, eager for action.

The next second—

Her eyes widened.

She watched as—

Facing the incoming rock, Larvitar suddenly let out a determined "Oowoo" and chomped down—

Crunch!

The rock was bitten into, then—crunch, crunch—devoured entirely.

"He... ate it?" Crystal was stunned.

This tiny Larvitar had... actually eaten Garganacl's Salt Cure attack?

It had already begun mastering some of Gengar's essential skills—devouring attacks!

Even Garganacl was briefly dumbfounded.

It hadn't expected its attack to be countered like this...

"Yoji! Yoji!"

Larvitar swallowed with a loud gulp, wiped the remaining salt from its lips, and excitedly waved at Garganacl.

More! More! Give me more!

In terms of appetite, Larvitar might not surpass Gengar.

But in terms of dedication to food, this little one was undoubtedly the most serious Pokémon under Johan's care.

"Garrr!!"

Garganacl stomped its foot, determined to teach this Larvitar a lesson.

Johan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Larvitar, Stomp!"

"Yoji?"

Larvitar paused in surprise—

Then, its excitement skyrocketed.

Was this a battle?

When it was first born, Johan had been competing in the Lily of the Valley Conference.

Although Larvitar hadn't had the chance to fight, watching Johan's other Pokémon battle with overwhelming strength had deeply inspired it.

From that moment on, it had realized—

This is the trademark fighting spirit of our family!

And now, hearing Johan's command—

This was its first battle!

"Yoji!!"

With newfound determination, Larvitar raised its tiny foot and stomped down with all its might.

RUMBLE—

The ground split open in a massive crack, like an earthquake-born serpent racing toward Garganacl.

"That's... Stomp?"

Crystal's head filled with question marks.

Watching the jagged crevice reach Garganacl, causing it to stumble, she suddenly recalled—

Larvitar's Ability was Guts—which greatly boosted its Attack when afflicted by a status condition.

But was Salt Cure considered a status condition?

Why did this Larvitar seem so... absurdly powerful?

Meanwhile, Johan's gaze remained fixed on Garganacl.

As it fought, his Pokédex had already updated with its information.

[Ability: Purifying Salt]

[Purifying Salt: The Pokémon's pure salt crystals prevent it from being afflicted by status conditions. Additionally, it takes reduced damage from Ghost-type moves.]

This was yet another reason why Garganacl was known as the "Salt King."

Ghost-type Pokémon, like Gengar, were infamous for their ability to stack status effects on their opponents.

But Garganacl was completely immune to such conditions and even took less damage from Ghost-type moves, making it a natural counter to Ghost-types.

RUMBLE—

As the ground shook violently, several other Garganacl emerged from the surrounding rocks.

"Come back, Larvitar!" Johan called.

One Garganacl? Larvitar might have had a chance to hold its own.

But a group of Garganacl?

"Yoji!"

Realizing it was outmatched, Larvitar immediately scampered back toward Johan—though it still managed to snatch up a small rock along the way.

The Garganacl horde swayed and shifted, and from among them, one particularly massive Garganacl stepped forward.

It was at least 30% larger than the others!

Most Garganacl ranged from 2.2 to 2.5 meters tall, but this one exceeded 3 meters!

Its presence alone was far more intimidating than the rest.

Seeing it, Crystal tensed up.

"Professor Johan... it's that one!"

This was the problem Pokémon that had led them to request Johan's help.

"Garrr!!"

The towering Garganacl spread its arms wide, roaring with confidence.

Hmph!

Scared yet?

Deep down, it felt smug.

But Johan simply narrowed his eyes in thought.

According to Crystal's description, this Garganacl was particularly aggressive and had influenced the entire group's temperament.

Professor Elm and Crystal suspected it was struggling to adjust to the new environment.

Despite Professor Elm spending a fortune to build a habitat tailored for Pokémon from Paldea, there were always subtle differences that might make adaptation difficult.

Adjustment issues, huh...?

Johan's expression turned slightly amused.

Because earlier, when checking a different Garganacl's Mood in his Pokédex...

It wasn't complaining about the environment.

Now, time to check this one.

Let's see...

Johan smirked and reached for his belt.

A Poké Ball opened on its own.

From within, a Single Strike Style Urshifu emerged before him.

Its fur rippled as it stood tall, eyes sharp as blades.

"Garruu!"

This Garganacl had a strong aura!

It was worthy of being Urshifu's opponent.

But as soon as Garganacl saw Urshifu—

It instinctively stepped back.

This guy... looked too fierce.

"Garrr!!"

Still, Garganacl refused to back down.

Since moving here, it hadn't had a proper fight.

It beckoned toward Urshifu with its massive, rocky hand.

"Yoji! Yoji!"

Larvitar mimicked Urshifu's fighting stance, enthusiastically shadowboxing.

Coach! Smash it! Smash it!

Knock it out so we can take it home!

That rock looks even tastier than the last one!

"Garruu!"

Urshifu nodded, eyes gleaming.

Knock it out. Take it home.

Johan had mentioned earlier that they still needed a Pokémon that could produce salt.

With salt, they could make salt-baked chicken, salt-baked duck, salt-baked lobster...

Droooool—

Urshifu wiped its mouth.

And with that—

The battle began.

The colossal Garganacl was already surging with power, releasing waves of salt that scattered the surrounding stones. The sheer force of its presence sent small rocks tumbling, clearing the battlefield.

Boom! Boom! Boom!—

Then, it took a heavy step forward, charging straight toward Urshifu.

"Taste the Salt King's fist!"

"Be careful!" Crystal instinctively shrank back.

But instead of retreating, Urshifu's aura exploded outward.

"Garruu!!"

A pulse of energy rippled from its body, rustling its fur as it unleashed a fighting spirit so intense it felt like it could split mountains with a single punch.

Facing the charging Garganacl, Urshifu didn't hesitate—it countered head-on, fists raised, water-like energy flowing around its arms.

Meanwhile, Johan had already activated his Pokédex to analyze the massive Garganacl's data as the battle unfolded.

[Garganacl]

[Type: Rock]

[Ability: Purifying Salt]

[Known Moves: Hammer Arm, Block, Tackle, Wide Guard, Harden, Rock Blast, Rock Throw, Mud Shot, Rock Tomb, Smack Down, Headbutt, Salt Cure...]

[Mood: Determined (I may lose, but I won't back down!); Anxious (Why isn't this guy intimidated?)]

[Condition: Excellent (Adjusting to the new environment takes time)]

[Friendship: 10 (If you turn around and leave now, we can still be friends!)]

Got it.

Johan smirked. His earlier suspicions were confirmed.

Because when he checked the other Garganacl earlier, its Mood description had read—

"The big guy said acting tough is the key to survival!"

Now, there was no question.

The "big guy" was this Garganacl.

"Urshifu, stop." Johan suddenly called out.

"Garruu?"

Urshifu's fist was already mere inches from Garganacl's face, but out of absolute trust in Johan, it halted its punch mid-air.

It turned to Johan in confusion.

And Garganacl?

It had frozen.

Cold sweat ran down its rocky frame as it stared at the suspended punch before its eyes.

Just a little closer...

It would've been knocked out.

[Friendship: 30 (Phew... good thing my bluff worked!)]

Crystal and Professor Elm were stunned.

"Why did they both stop?"

Urshifu had stopped because Johan told it to, but Garganacl?

Just a moment ago, it had been all fire and fury—why did it suddenly freeze?

Johan's expression became unreadable as he slowly stepped forward.

This Garganacl was interesting.

It wasn't his first time encountering Pokémon that pretended to be tough, to look fierce, to act intimidating.

In the wild, that was a common survival tactic.

But this Garganacl...

It was really committed to the act.

It even initiated the attack just to keep up appearances.

It wasn't about winning.

It was about never letting anyone see weakness.

Johan couldn't help but be reminded of a veteran stage actor.

Walking up to Urshifu, Johan gave it a reassuring pat.

Then, under Garganacl's wary gaze, he wiped some salt from its leg, brought it to his lips, and tasted it.

Salty.

"Garrr..."

Garganacl let out a low growl, trying to maintain its intimidating presence—only to realize Urshifu was staring at it intensely.

A chill ran down its spine.

Still, it refused to flinch, standing tall despite the slight tremble in its legs.

"Stop shaking," Johan muttered, "you're gonna blow your cover."

Garganacl: ⊙▽⊙

...He saw through me?!

Johan turned back to Professor Elm with a smirk.

"Professor Elm, I think... this one and I have a connection."

Professor Elm blinked in surprise before breaking into a knowing smile.

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?"

Johan nodded. That was as good as getting permission.

He clapped Garganacl's leg, knocking loose some excess salt.

"So, how about it? Want to come with me?"

If this big guy left, the other Garganacl would likely calm down.

Garganacl straightened up, ready to refuse and maintain its pride.

But then—

Johan's voice echoed in its mind.

"If you don't come with me, you'll eventually slip up and blow your cover."

Garganacl:

..."Garrr?"

"Come with me, and I'll teach you the true art of acting."

Garganacl: !?

Follow current novℯls on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.

Its eyes lit up.

"I'll turn you into the true 'Salt King.'"

Salt King?

"A noble among Garganacl."

"Garrr?!"

For real?!

Johan smirked and nodded.

Larvitar, you're in for a feast.

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Powerstones?

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