Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 417: Is It Really Just Professor Johan’s Luck?

Fixed Chapters 411 and 412. Reread them if you want, nothing much changes.

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After the match.

Cynthia and the others found Johan in the tournament's "junkyard."

Ahem.

To be more precise, it was the discarded battlefield debris storage area.

"Yoji~(^^)"

Larvitar was happily gnawing on a large chunk of stone, the sound of crunching echoing in the air. Anyone unaware might've thought it was munching on potato chips.

"Ka-kaah~"

Gengar stood proudly beside it, arms crossed in satisfaction.

It was the one who found this place.

And the stone Larvitar was chewing on?

It was a leftover chunk from Stonjourner's battle earlier.

The reason Stonjourner's Power Spot ability had activated was because of the energy stored inside these stones.

For Larvitar, that was a massive temptation.

If not for being in the middle of a battle earlier, Larvitar probably would've charged in to steal them on the spot.

"This... is next-level frugality," Flint muttered as he watched Larvitar sitting in a pile of rubble.

Maybe this was the difference between him and Professor Johan?

They were both "poor," but Professor Johan even scavenged in junkyards.

Maybe he needed to learn from this?

After all, thriftiness is a virtue.

Infernape: You wanna hear yourself right now?!

"If you need minerals, Professor Johan... should I have a plane deliver some over?" Steven offered.

Johan: "..."

...Are we using entire planes as a unit of measurement now?!

He waved it off.

"No need. I'll restock once we get back—Larvitar is just curious about the taste."

Johan only wanted to spend a little—Steven just opened up an entire whale-sized transaction.

If a plane-full of minerals arrived, how was he supposed to transport them all?!

Even with Gengar's dimensional storage, it'd take forever to pack up.

Still, he did plan to buy a batch later—education was important, even if they were broke.

Once the tournament was over and he claimed the prize money, he'd ship some supplies home.

"Fair enough," Steven nodded, understanding the logistical issue.

Cynthia, however, looked thoughtful.

Seems like I should keep an eye out for rare stones next time I explore ancient ruins...

The Top 32 to Top 16 battles had concluded.

Throughout the day, there had been many thrilling matches.

But the most talked-about match was, without a doubt—

Johan vs. Gordie.

Many fans called it the most exciting battle of the entire Lily of the Valley Conference so far.

Both trainers showcased strategies that defied conventional understanding, pushing the match to an extremely high level.

Many believed that Gordie was strong enough to go further in the tournament, but unfortunately, he encountered Professor Johan and was eliminated.

Despite his loss, Gordie still received widespread praise.

As for Johan, his victory only further cemented his reputation, making him a major topic of discussion that evening.

Online discussions were equally heated.

"I never thought I'd see the day... where a 'Pokédex' would go on a 1v3 rampage."

"Bro, I just checked the stats. 'Wash Rotom' is basically a bugged Pokémon!"

"That's not the point! The real bug here is that Professor Johan is the one using it!"

"I seriously think Johan has a bunch of hidden strategies he hasn't even used yet."

"+1"

"+1"

"+1—Wait, STOP CHAINING +1s!"

Of course, people weren't just talking about Johan's match—

Another hot topic was Tobias.

Since the start of the tournament, Tobias had only ever used one Pokémon.

And he only needed one.

Darkrai.

If his opponent was weak, Darkrai just steamrolled them outright.

If his opponent was stronger, Darkrai used Dark Void + Dream Eater to shut them down.

So far—

Tobias had yet to reveal a second Pokémon.

Such a dominant performance inevitably led to comparisons with Johan.

Back in the Silver Conference, Johan had done something similar—

Except, instead of sweeping with one Pokémon, he rotated his entire team.

Some people argued that Johan's approach showed more depth, while others claimed that Tobias's unknown roster made him even more terrifying.

Either way—

Everyone agreed that this Lily of the Valley Conference was truly stacked with competition.

Sitting in a café, Johan scrolled through the online discussions with mild curiosity.

He, too, was curious about Tobias's other Pokémon.

At that moment—

"The matchups for tomorrow are out," Thorne announced, checking his tablet.

"Oh? Who's he up against?"

Flint immediately leaned in.

Thorne's expression turned serious.

"Kabu."

Kabu?!

The former Hoenn trainer who later became a Gym Leader in Galar—

And who had now been temporarily dismissed due to certain reasons.

Johan twitched slightly and turned to Cynthia.

"Does the Sinnoh League have a grudge against me or something?"

It felt like all the strongest trainers were being funneled into his bracket.

Dino and Remo were already tough, but now he had fought Gordie and Kabu—both legitimate Gym Leader-level trainers.

Kabu was even stronger than Gordie.

Because while Gordie had yet to officially become a Gym Leader, Kabu had only stepped down temporarily—and Johan knew he'd eventually reclaim his position at Motostoke Stadium.

Under normal circumstances, these guys were at least quarterfinal contenders, if not potential champions.

Cynthia frowned slightly and nodded.

"I'll ask around."

"Uhh, no need," Johan quickly backtracked with an awkward laugh.

He didn't actually think the Sinnoh League was rigging anything—major organizations didn't operate like that.

Still... it was a little suspicious.

Flint rubbed his chin thoughtfully and posed a hypothesis.

"Maybe..." he said, stroking his imaginary beard, "it's just Professor Johan's luck?"

Johan: "..."

He smiled and clapped Flint on the shoulder.

"Flint, Garchomp wants to spar with you."

"Nice! Let's do it!"

Flint was completely unfazed, even looking excited.

"Garrr!! (▼皿▼#)"

Nearby, Garchomp—its mouth covered in whipped cream—bared its fangs with a low growl.

Why the hell should I listen to you?!

Johan added:

"No restrictions."

Flint: "???"

"Garrr."

That evening—

Having promised Garchomp a feast, Johan was now hard at work.

If it was just one Garchomp, things would be manageable.

But the problem was—

"Ka-kaah!"

Finished!

Gengar held up its empty bowl.

"Yoji!"

Larvitar lifted its "bedpan."

Me too!

"Garrr—hic—"

Garchomp let out a burp, blinking in disbelief.

No way.

It could accept losing to Gengar in a eating contest—

But to a baby Larvitar?!

Unforgivable.

"Garrr!"

Give me another half bowl!

Johan rubbed his forehead.

This is how my savings disappear.

Pokéblocks were meant to be snacks, not full meals!

This was all Flint's fault.

He'd pay for this.

Somewhere, Flint sneezed.

"Huh? Did I catch a cold?"

Just then—

"Incoming call, Roto!"

Rotom hovered over with Johan's phone.

Johan, seizing the perfect escape, grabbed the phone and walked onto the balcony.

Without even checking the caller ID, he picked up.

"Johan, it's me."

A familiar voice came through.

Johan glanced at the screen.

"Professor Sycamore?"

"I'm organizing a research conference soon. Would you be interested in attending?"

"A research conference?"

"Yes—about Mega Evolution."

Johan immediately recalled something.

Previously, Professor Sycamore had mentioned his plan to publicly release part of his research on Mega Evolution.

He had even shown Johan a draft paper detailing his current findings.

Although many aspects of Mega Evolution were still not fully understood, Sycamore believed that such a groundbreaking discovery should be shared with the world as soon as possible.

"A research conference..." Johan mused.

"Yes. Since you're participating in the Lily of the Valley Conference, I've scheduled it for after the tournament ends," Sycamore said.

Clearly, he had been keeping an eye on the tournament—both he and his assistant Alain had been following the matches closely.

But then, as if struck by a realization, Sycamore's voice suddenly took on an excited tone.

"Wait a minute..."

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Johan could feel the expectation in his voice.

"Are you saying... you'll be showcasing Mega Evolution during this tournament?"

That would be huge.

Given the massive audience watching the Lily of the Valley Conference, if Johan demonstrated Mega Evolution in an official battle, the impact would be astronomical.

Johan blinked.

"...Did I say that?"

But then again—

It wasn't entirely impossible.

"Let's just say the chances are low but not zero."

He couldn't say for sure.

After analyzing Tobias's battles, Johan felt that—even with Darkrai and Latios—his opponent hadn't shown anything yet that truly forced him to reveal Mega Evolution.

Unless—

Tobias was secretly hiding four more Legendary Pokémon.

Now that would be fun.

If Tobias really had an entire team of Mythicals and Legendaries...

Then Johan wouldn't hold back.

They'd go down together.

"That's..." Sycamore hesitated before laughing. "Well, let's see how things go. I'll be watching closely!"

Johan nodded.

"Oh, by the way," he added, "I heard that after the tournament, a noble from Sinnoh plans to host an exhibition match—probably to capitalize on the hype. They're inviting some top trainers, and they might even extend invitations to the Elite Four."

This was information Johan had learned from Cynthia.

If he won the Lily of the Valley Conference, there was a high chance he'd be invited.

And if that happened...

The timing would be perfect.

The tournament's attention would still be at its peak, but the exhibition match wouldn't have the same intense competitive pressure.

A public debut of Mega Evolution at an exhibition match would be ideal.

"Hmm..." Sycamore murmured in thought.

"If that's the case, maybe we should wait a little longer," he agreed. "That'll also give me more time to finalize some of my research."

"Sounds good," Johan said.

"Alright then—focus on your battles, and good luck in the tournament!"

"Don't worry, I'm sweeping through this."

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Powerstones?

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