Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 458: Challenge Me? You Have to Defeat My Student First!

"Pokémon?"

Hearing Professor Elm's words, Johan was slightly surprised.

But considering his reputation as a "Pokémon Psychologist," he quickly accepted it.

"What kind of Pokémon?" Johan asked curiously.

"Professor Jacq from Naranja Academy sent me a few Pokémon for research. He hopes I can study their physiology, particularly their egg groups," Professor Elm explained.

Professor Jacq?

He seemed to be a biology teacher at Naranja Academy in the Paldea region, well-versed in Pokémon ecology and a renowned researcher.

"Pokémon from Paldea, huh..." Johan murmured.

"No rush. It's getting late today. You should rest first and check them out tomorrow," Professor Elm said with a smile.

"Sounds good."

Johan nodded, not refusing. After all, the sun was about to set.

"Fortunately, I've already had Crystal prepare a room for you. It's a bit simple, so I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not."

After exchanging a few more words, Crystal led Johan to his guest room.

"Professor Johan, is this Jigglypuff your new Pokémon?" Crystal asked out of curiosity, knowing which Pokémon Johan had on hand.

Johan smiled, glancing at the Jigglypuff already asleep in his arms. The little one had been caught in a tornado earlier and was still shaken.

"No, I just happened to help it out. We're more like friends."

"Oh..."

Crystal understood.

The relationship between a Trainer and a Pokémon wasn't always about capturing and being captured.

Even if a Pokémon wasn't caught, they could still form close friendships.

Besides, not all Pokémon liked being inside Poké Balls or engaging in battles.

"Professor, we've arrived."

They stopped in front of a guest room at the far end of the second-floor hallway.

"Thank you."

Johan expressed his gratitude and pushed the door open.

The room wasn't large, with only a bed and a desk inside, but it was spotless—quite the contrast to the slightly cluttered research lab downstairs.

It was clear that Crystal had put a lot of effort into cleaning it.

Just then, a voice called from outside the hallway window.

"Crystal!"

It sounded like a boy.

Crystal clearly knew who it was and sighed, pressing her fingers to her forehead before forcing a smile at Johan.

"Professor Johan, it's nothing..."

Still, they both walked over to the window and looked outside.

Down below stood a black-haired boy wearing a backward cap, goggles, and holding a cue stick, striking a cool pose.

It was none other than the egg hatcher himself—Gold!

"Huh?"

Seeing not just Crystal but another figure leaning out the window, Gold froze.

Due to the lighting and angle, he could only make out Johan's silhouette.

Dressed in a black suit, with a hat and a monocle, Johan looked... suspicious.

Gold's expression darkened, and he pointed at Johan, shouting:

"Hey! Who's this shady guy?!"

With that, he grabbed his cue stick, and his Aipom swiftly climbed up his arm to the end of the stick before launching itself forward.

"Go, Tailo!" Gold commanded.

Using the cue stick as a springboard, Aipom leaped toward the second-floor window, baring its teeth at Johan and Crystal.

Johan raised an eyebrow.

Attacking on sight, huh?

Classic Gold.

Crystal, on the other hand, was furious. She never expected Gold to attack Johan without asking questions first.

"Gold, you idiot!"

How reckless!

How rude!

Johan, however, wasn't surprised.

After all, this guy was the type to charge straight at Professor Oak or even Lance without hesitation...

What did surprise him was Gold's strength.

The cue stick was long, and factoring in Aipom's weight and jumping force, along with the leverage from the stick's length, Gold still managed to keep it perfectly steady?

How was that possible?

What kind of superhuman strength did this kid have at barely ten years old?!

Johan had heard of strong trainers before, but...

As Johan pondered, Aipom closed in—

Only for a shadow to appear in front of Johan.

Before Aipom could reach them, Gengar stepped in with a sinister grin.

"Ka-kaah!ヾ(▼▼;)"

"Eeek!"

Aipom was startled, its fur standing on end as it stiffened mid-air.

It completely missed the window and started falling.

Luckily, Johan reacted quickly, grabbing Aipom by its tail and leaving it dangling.

"Tailo!"

Gold gasped.

"Damn it!!"

He hadn't expected this "kidnapper" to be so strong—he even caught Tailo!

"You just wait!"

Gold pointed his cue stick at Johan, rolled up his sleeves, and quickly climbed a nearby tree, seemingly preparing to jump inside and fight Johan one-on-one.

Johan's expression turned odd.

Gold, you sure are good at climbing trees...

He couldn't help but think of an old acquaintance.

Fortunately, Crystal intervened.

"Gold!" she shouted.

"This is Professor Johan!"

Gold, halfway up the tree, froze.

He lost his footing and fell.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Luckily, Gengar caught him mid-air, leaving him suspended face-to-face with his Aipom.

"Ka-kaah? (￢з￢)σ"

Gengar turned to Johan and pointed at Gold.

Is this guy an idiot?

Now that the angle had shifted, Gold finally got a clear look at Johan.

His eyes widened in shock.

"It's really Professor Johan!"

It seemed he recognized Johan after all.

"Haha!!" Gold flailed his arms excitedly.

"Professor Johan, battle me!"

Johan: "..."

Crystal facepalmed.

Honestly...

Maybe she shouldn't have let Johan know she was friends with Gold.

It was kind of embarrassing.

Johan suddenly felt that coming to New Bark Town to find Gold, and then using Gold to track down Silver, might have been a mistake.

Still, seeing Gold's enthusiasm, Johan replied:

"Alright."

Crystal looked at Johan in surprise, while Gold beamed with excitement.

If he could defeat Professor Johan, he'd gain endless praise and glory!

Gold lifted his chin, closed his eyes, and spread his arms as if basking in an imaginary spotlight.

But before he could get too lost in his fantasy, Johan continued with a smirk:

"But if you want to challenge me, you have to beat my student first."

"Student?" Gold and Crystal both looked confused.

"It's not too difficult," Johan said with a wave of his hand.

"Who?"

"Steven Stone."

Crystal's eyes widened.

The heir to Devon Corporation, Steven Stone?!

Even though Johan had been gaining recognition lately, six months ago, Steven was much more famous.

And defeating Johan versus defeating Steven...

For Gold, wasn't that just as impossible?!

Gold scratched his head.

"Wait, do I have to go all the way to Hoenn? That's really far..."

Crystal twitched.

That's your concern?!

Johan playfully shook Aipom's tail and infused a bit of Aura into it.

"Aipom~(≧▽≦)"

That felt good.

"Tailo, are you okay?!" Gold shouted.

Aipom was too busy enjoying itself to respond.

"Or," Johan added, "you could defeat my student from Johto first. That would also count."

Johto?

That's much closer!

"Who?"

"Silver."

"Silver?"

Both Gold and Crystal looked puzzled.

Who? Never heard of him.

But if Johan mentioned him, he must be strong... maybe on Steven's level.

"Where is he?"

Johan shrugged.

"You'll have to find him yourself."

Then, he casually tossed Aipom back to Gold.

"Alright! Once I beat Silver, I'll challenge you, Professor Johan!" Gold declared.

Johan smirked and exchanged glances with Gengar.

"I'll be waiting."

The next morning.

"Bo~ Bololo bo, Puri, bo~ Puri bo~"

Johan woke up to the sound of Jigglypuff singing.

"Puri! ()"

Seeing that Johan was genuinely unaffected by its song, the early-rising Jigglypuff stood on the desk like a victorious general, proudly raising its microphone, bursting with excitement.

It then cleared its throat, preparing for a proper performance.

"Bo! Puri wuwu—"

Before it could start, a Pokéblock was stuffed into its mouth.

Spell interrupted!

"Puri!"

Jigglypuff plopped onto the desk, set its microphone down by its feet, and began nibbling on the Pokéblock in small bites.

Johan opened the window, taking in the fresh morning air.

Through trial and error, he had finally figured out Jigglypuff's "switch," putting him in an exceptionally good mood.

Jigglypuff might not be suitable as a café performer since it could negatively affect business...

But as an assistant at a psychological clinic, it was actually quite ideal—it could help with sleep therapy without the need for additional hypnosis techniques.

In the Kalos region, the Joy family even partnered with Wigglytuff for similar purposes.

Of course, Jigglypuff was too restless to stay in one place forever. If it wanted to leave one day, Johan wouldn't stop it.

"Yo~ Yoji, Yoji~ Yo~"

Larvitar found Jigglypuff's singing amusing and started mimicking it.

"Puri!"

Jigglypuff immediately noticed Larvitar was singing off-key. Puffing up its cheeks, it hopped off the desk with determination and stomped over.

It was time for a lesson!

"Puri~~"

"Yoji~~"

One taught, the other learned.

The room soon filled with their chatter.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

—

At the backyard of Professor Elm's research lab.

It was quite similar to Professor Oak's research facility—though smaller in scale, it was still a vast area dedicated to Pokémon studies.

A clear indication of how much the Pokémon League valued Professor Elm.

Johan, Professor Elm, and Crystal rode in a jeep, driving over a small hill before reaching a Paldea Pokémon habitat.

"Is that... Tandemaus?"

Seeing four small white mice—two big, two small—on the grass, Johan looked surprised.

Tandemaus was a rather peculiar Pokémon.

It always appeared as a pair, resembling a married couple, though its actual gender was still a mystery in research.

When it evolved into Maushold, it would gain two additional members, forming a family.

However, in rare cases—about 1% of the time—only a single offspring would appear, resulting in a "Three-Member Family."

Whether in pairs, trios, or full families, they were still considered a single Pokémon entity.

It was somewhat similar to Kangaskhan and its baby.

Professor Elm chuckled. "Johan, you sure know a lot. Even in Paldea, Maushold is quite rare. They're one of my current research focuses."

The unique way Maushold reproduced was particularly fascinating for a Pokémon professor specializing in egg groups.

"That won't be easy..." Johan murmured.

"Indeed." Professor Elm nodded in agreement.

"But with Kangaskhan and Falinks as reference points, we've found a few promising directions."

Johan nodded.

Like Maushold, Kangaskhan was a dual-entity Pokémon, with a strong mother and a dependent child. It even had a unique Mega Evolution ability, Parental Bond, making it one of a kind in the Pokémon world.

Falinks, on the other hand, was another multiple-entity Pokémon, considered a single unit despite its multiple bodies. It was also a genderless species, much like Maushold.

Seeing Maushold here, Johan understood why Professor Jacq sought Professor Elm's expertise.

This research was undoubtedly challenging.

Luckily, Maushold and Tandemaus were fairly docile as long as they weren't disturbed at critical moments.

The jeep continued moving forward.

Soon, they arrived at a sizable artificial lake, where many Water-type Pokémon resided.

On the shore, several dark brown rocks stood out oddly.

"Yoji!"

Larvitar jumped out of its Poké Ball on its own. Spotting the rocks, its eyes lit up as it excitedly tried to rush over for a bite.

But Johan held it back by the head.

Knocking lightly on Larvitar's forehead, he chuckled, "Look closely—those are Pokémon!"

"Yoji?"

Larvitar froze, rubbing its head and looking up at Johan with a pitiful expression before glancing back at the rocks.

It swallowed hard.

Upon closer inspection, the rocks had several small, dark openings, as if something was hidden inside.

"Professor Elm, are those Wiglett?" Johan asked.

Professor Elm had already gotten out of the jeep, holding a research file. Adjusting his glasses, he nodded.

"That's right—Wiglett."

Saying this, he picked up a small rock and tossed it toward one of the unusual shoreline stones.

Tap, tap, tap—

The rock bounced along the ground before three long, red, tentacle-like appendages shot out of the stone, swiftly wrapping around the rock and crushing it into powder.

"Yoji! Σ(дlll)"

Larvitar jumped in fright, momentarily imagining itself in the rock's place. It took a step back.

But its fear quickly vanished as it looked around again.

Spotting a pile of nearby rocks, its eyes sparkled with excitement.

Wiglett was a Garden Eel Pokémon, resembling Diglett but entirely different in species. It was a pure Water-type Pokémon that evolved into Wugtrio, which had an aggressive and territorial nature.

Seeing the artificial lake, Johan thought to himself—perhaps this was more of an "artificial sea."

Wugtrio's reproduction habits could also make for a fascinating research topic.

Professor Elm was already deep into research mode, muttering to himself while taking notes.

"After adapting to a simulated natural environment, Wugtrio has fully adjusted. Now, we just need to observe its breeding patterns..."

Seeing him so engrossed, Crystal took over the task of guiding Johan.

She cautiously tugged on Johan's sleeve and pointed toward another rocky area near the "artificial sea."

"Professor Johan, what Professor Elm wants your help with is over there."

Not far away, Larvitar, the little green dinosaur, was already sneaking closer to the rocks.

Johan's eyebrow twitched.

"Larvitar!"

"Yoji?"

Larvitar froze, turning its head with an awkward smile.

Oops, caught again...

Rumble—

At that moment, the rock pile trembled.

Chunks of stone tumbled down as several creatures—seemingly made entirely of rough rock, as if from a pixelated world—began to stir.

Crystal's expression changed slightly, a trace of nervousness in her voice.

"Professor Johan, these ones... aren't very friendly..."

Johan raised an eyebrow.

"Garganacl?"

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Powerstones?

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