I Swear Fealty, Chief! (BONUS)
Night fell. To minimize disturbance to others, Honey had arranged for Johan to stay in a small standalone house within Master Mustard's dojo.
Of course, this came at a steep price, which Johan dutifully paid.
Bang, bang—clang, clang— The sound of hammering iron filled the air without pause.
Tinkatuff squatted on the ground, its face glowing with enthusiasm.
In front of it lay its prized and weighty hammer, surrounded by a chaotic pile of Corviknight feathers.
These were trophies from its recent "hunts."
To be fair, Tinkatuff couldn't take all the blame.
Corviknights on the Isle of Armor had never encountered Pokémon like Tinkatuff or Tinkaton before.
Whenever they spotted Tinkatuff's hammer—a metal of extraordinary purity—they couldn't help but be drawn to it.
What they didn't know was that the real predator often masquerades as prey.
When the Corviknights set their sights on Tinkatuff's hammer, Tinkatuff set its sights on their feathers.
This was simply the natural law of the Pokémon world—a "survival of the fittest" scenario Johan couldn't interfere with.
At most, he had ordered Tinkatuff to exercise some restraint.
"Take half the feathers, no more. Let them fly away so we might encounter them again someday."
"I'm just so kind-hearted," Johan thought to himself, sighing.
Even so, in just one day, Tinkatuff's gains exceeded all expectations.
Here it was, hammering away even after dinner, tirelessly swinging for nearly four or five hours straight. A mountain of feathers still awaited incorporation into its hammer.
"Chu~~ Chu~~"
But Tinkatuff showed no signs of fatigue, repeating its mechanical movements with excitement.
This hammer isn't heavy enough! Not nearly heavy enough!
Johan, lying in bed, was slowly being lulled to sleep by the rhythmic clanging. Finally, he couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Tinkatuff, call it a day. You can finish tomorrow—it's bedtime," Johan said.
Although they were in a standalone house, the noise could still disturb others' sleep.
"Chu?"
Tinkatuff paused, wiping the sweat from its brow. After blinking a few times, it reluctantly set the hammer down.
Johan let out a sigh of relief. The world was finally quiet again.
"Gengar, lights out," Johan instructed.
"Ka-kah~~"
Gengar, holding the Scroll of the Wicked Fist, popped its head out of the ceiling and gleefully scurried off to turn off the lights.
"You really are the master of turning things dark," Johan muttered as he cuddled Vulpix. Soon, he drifted into slumber.
It had been an exhausting day—flying to the Isle of Armor, traveling from Wyndon to meet Master Mustard, battling him, and finally capturing Kubfu.
Before long, he was sound asleep.
"Gengar, no causing trouble at night…" Johan mumbled in his sleep.
Gengar floated down from the ceiling, scratching its head.
"Ka-kah?"
Seeing that Johan was fast asleep, Gengar smirked mischievously.
It clapped its hands.
"Ka-kah~~" (Who's up for a late-night adventure?)
"Draaa?"
Dragonair, ever the overachiever, tumbled off the bed.
"Oowu~~"
Vulpix kicked at the blanket but remained firmly trapped in Johan's embrace, reluctantly giving up.
"Chu!"
Tinkatuff stealthily picked up its hammer and climbed down from its bed.
Of course, it had to join. Why?
Because it and Gengar were the ultimate team!
Without Tinkatuff, Gengar's efficiency would drop by at least half.
"Ka-kah?" (Is that it?) "Ku! (－ω－) zzZ"
Kubfu, sound asleep with a bubble on its nose, suddenly stood up, flexing its fists.
Gengar waved a hand in front of Kubfu's face.
"Ka-kah?" (Can you even see me?)
"ZzZ"
Kubfu struck a formidable pose, exuding intense energy.
"Ka-kah!!"
Gengar gave a big thumbs-up.
It didn't fully understand Kubfu's odd behavior, but it had seen how terrifying Kubfu could be in its sleep.
"Ka-kah~!" (Move out!)
Morning sunlight filtered through the windows.
The Isle of Armor's climate was surprisingly similar to Hoenn's.
When Johan woke up without Gengar licking him awake, he knew—something must have happened last night.
"Oowu~~"
Vulpix licked Johan's face, fully rousing him from slumber.
After getting up and washing up, Johan headed outside.
Gengar was munching on a mushroom that looked like a shrunken Poké Ball in one hand, still clutching the Scroll of the Wicked Fist in the other.
As expected, Gengar had been busy overnight.
Dragonair was sunbathing, still full of energy despite recent improvements to its routine.
Tinkatuff was, unsurprisingly, the most hyper. It seemed dead set on single-handedly "plucking" every Corviknight on the Isle of Armor.
The only one that seemed relatively calm was Kubfu.
Yet even while snoring, it was doing push-ups—with a massive boulder on its back, no less.
"Training while awake, training while asleep—this little guy definitely lives up to its serious brows and piercing gaze," Johan muttered.
Wait a second.
An indefatigable Gengar, a sleep-training Kubfu…
Wasn't this the perfect duo?
A familiar sense of exhaustion washed over Johan as he shook his head.
"Vulpix, at least you're the most well-behaved," he said, cuddling the fluffy Pokémon tightly. After several deep breaths, he felt much better.
"O-Oowu~~ (((//Д//)))"
"Breakfast is ready!"
At the sound of Johan's call, Kubfu's nose bubble popped. It tossed aside the boulder and eagerly scampered over with the others.
Watching Kubfu's ravenous appetite, Johan wiped sweat from his brow.
"Calm down, calm down," he muttered.
Kubfu's increased training justified its increased appetite.
Or so he thought.
But soon enough, Johan witnessed Kubfu's truly voracious capacity—rivaled only by Gengar.
"It's fine, it's fine," Johan reassured himself, though his tone betrayed a hint of unease.
The profits from Meowth and Pichu should start rolling in soon.
Feeding one Kubfu was manageable—probably.
If worse came to worst…
He could always open his Pokémon Psychology Clinic to rake in cash from wealthy clients.
"Ku~ Ku~~ (PД`q.)·.'゜"
Mid-meal, tears streamed down Kubfu's face.
"What's wrong?" Johan gently patted its head, concerned.
"Ku~ Ku~~!"
The organization is too good to me!
Not only did they provide such delicious food, but last night's "spoils of nature" surpassed what it usually gathered in an entire month!
Surely, even the heavens approved of its decision to join.
With teary eyes, Kubfu looked at Johan with unwavering resolve.
"Ku~!"
I swear fealty, Chief!
Johan: "…"
Though he wasn't sure why, a strange heaviness settled in his chest.
But from Kubfu's gaze and its Aura, he could feel the little one's sincerity.
After breakfast, Tinkatuff resumed its bird-hunting campaign, aided by Gengar and the others.
Far away, a Corviknight eyeing Tinkatuff's hammer suddenly trembled as dark red particles gathered around it.
Above, ominous black-red clouds began to swirl.
The Corviknight's body swelled as crimson light enveloped it.
Johan, reading on the beach, stood up abruptly, narrowing his eyes at the sight.
"This is…"
The swirling red mist, the rapidly expanding figure—
"Gigantamax?!"
"Chu?"
Tinkatuff blinked, then broke into an ecstatic grin.
"Chu!!!"
What a big bird!
Powerstones?
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