Haunter Takes the Lead—Gym Challenge!

Several days passed.

Thursday.

After packing his luggage, Johan prepared to depart with his little companions in tow.

He had already informed the academic office of his plans. Learning that he was assisting a League investigator, the academic dean, Fitzwilliam, didn't hesitate to grant him leave.

In reality, Johan was simply being polite, as he didn't have any classes scheduled for the next few days.

The destination?

The Johto region's Blackthorn City.

Originally, Lance had offered to personally escort him.

With his trusty Dragonite, Charizard, and Aerodactyl, Lance boasted he could make a quick round trip between Hoenn and Johto, which weren't too far apart geographically.

Riding the Dragon King back to Johto, steward of the Dragon Clan?

Johan brushed the fleeting thought aside and politely declined.

"No need to trouble such a busy celebrity investigator. I'll just take a plane."

The weather was perfect—clear skies, with a flock of lazy Starly flying overhead.

Dragging his suitcase along, Johan arrived at Kanaz Airport.

"Oowu~~"

Vulpix lay comfortably on top of his suitcase, squinting contentedly at the sun.

Tinkatuffk, hammer slung over its shoulder, pouted with visible dissatisfaction.

Wouldn't it be better to just hang the suitcase off its hammer?

Once aboard the plane, Johan firmly warned Tinkatuffk to abandon any ideas of "tinkering" with the aircraft.

With that settled, he closed his eyes for a brief nap.

The flight from Hoenn to Johto wasn't particularly long.

In true Pokémon World fashion, the in-flight meals were generous, offering options for both humans and Pokémon.

Haunter eagerly licked up its meal, leaving nothing behind, before turning its gaze, along with Tinkatuffk, toward Vulpix's untouched food.

"Oowu..."

Vulpix sighed, lightly exhaling a frosty breath to chill their drinks.

The trio toasted with their icy beverages, downing them in a single gulp.

As the plane approached the Johto region, turbulence struck.

The violent shaking jolted Johan awake.

Looking out the window, he caught a glimpse of an orange figure zipping by at high speed.

"Carrying a camera?"

For a moment, Johan's pulse raced.

Then a few more shapes appeared, and the realization hit him—they were Fearow, the "budget Ho-oh."

Fortunately, League airplanes were well-prepared for such incidents, with protocols in place to handle various scenarios. Once the Fearow realized the plane was impenetrable, they quickly flew off.

Still, the experience reminded Johan of something:

In the Pokémon World, there were two types of Pokémon you should always prepare for travel.

Flying Pokémon for air travel. Water Pokémon for sea travel.

Shaking off the nerves, Johan pulled out his notebook to draft a new script.

His previous project had been well-received but was on hold due to high production costs and logistical challenges.

This time, he aimed for something smaller in scale.

Blackthorn City Airport, Johto Region

Johan stepped out of the airport, suitcase in hand.

"Johan!"

A familiar figure approached—Lance, beaming with enthusiasm.

Without warning, Lance pulled Johan into a big bear hug.

Nearby, Dragonite bounced eagerly, seemingly wanting to join in.

"Alright, alright, I surrender," Johan said, wriggling free. He quickly handed Dragonite a few Pokéblocks to redirect its attention.

Finally free, Johan sighed in relief.

"Let's go. Clair's already prepared!"

Prepared?

Johan blinked in confusion.

Blackthorn City wasn't particularly large or bustling, nestled as it was among the mountains.

However, it was steeped in "Dragon Culture," with dragon-themed motifs everywhere.

Even on the streets, people casually walked around with Dragon Pokémon in tow.

As they walked, Lance recounted his findings from the Lake of Rage investigation.

"I discovered traces of Team Rocket near the lake," Lance said, his expression darkening.

Team Rocket—a persistent thorn in the side of both the Kanto and Johto Leagues. Despite their best efforts, neither League had managed to eliminate the organization entirely.

"Figures," Johan muttered.

"But..."

Lance hesitated.

"Recently, Team Rocket has been unusually quiet. I'm not sure what they're plotting this time."

Guess we'd have to ask Giovanni, Johan thought wryly.

"What about the Lake of Rage? Did you find anything unusual?" Johan asked.

"When I got there, Team Rocket had already evacuated. But I found strange magnetic devices around the lake," Lance explained.

"Magnetic devices?"

"I've called in an expert to analyze them, but I suspect they're related to Gyarados' behavior."

"And Gyarados? How's it doing?"

"Still... the same."

Their conversation carried them to the entrance of the Blackthorn Gym.

Johan froze.

"?!"

Rocket Base, Viridian City, Kanto

"Boss, Johan has just arrived in Blackthorn City," Matori reported to Giovanni.

Hearing this, Giovanni popped a cookie into his mouth and nodded thoughtfully.

"Lake of Rage, I assume?"

"Likely."

The Lake of Rage incident was indirectly connected to Johan.

Mewtwo had once again disrupted Team Rocket's internal network. As its powers grew stronger, the resulting outages were increasingly severe—this time, even affecting Team Rocket's operations in Johto.

However, Giovanni remained unfazed.

The Lake of Rage project, part of Team Rocket's broader initiatives, was meant to study how magnetic fields and sound waves influenced Pokémon.

Originally conceived as a contingency plan to control Mewtwo, the project had become redundant now that Mewtwo was "manageable."

"Wrap it up quickly and have Ariana keep things quiet," Giovanni instructed.

"Yes, sir!"

"By the way, Matori," Giovanni continued, "since Johan's in Johto, pay him a visit."

Matori blinked.

"Meet him? Do you need me to... retrieve him?"

A faint glimmer of excitement danced in her eyes.

"No," Giovanni said with a smile. "Just drop a subtle hint about your identity and gauge his reaction."

Back at Blackthorn Gym

"You've got to be kidding me," Johan muttered, his eye twitching.

Lance laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry, but it's the rule. To access the Dragon's Den, you need the Gym Leader's approval—earned through a battle."

Johan glared.

"Couldn't you just bring Gyarados outside?"

"Well..." Lance scratched his head. "Its destructive tendencies make that a bit... tricky. Besides, don't you want to see the Dragon's Den for yourself?"

Truth be told, Johan was curious. As a lifelong Pokémon enthusiast, the Dragon's Den had always intrigued him.

"Fine," Johan sighed. "A little."

"Relax," Lance reassured him. "I've already told Clair that win or lose, you're allowed entry."

"Easy for you to say," Johan grumbled, eyeing his companions.

Haunter floated lazily nearby, Vulpix napped in its signature "snowball" pose, and Tinkatuffk was sneakily hanging Johan's suitcase off its hammer.

Well, if this was just a formality...

The gym doors creaked open, revealing Clair waiting inside, a confident smirk on her face.

"Finally," she said, cracking her whip.

Johan turned to see Lance sneaking off to the side.

"Why does this feel like I've been lured into a trap?"

Haunter floated out of Johan's shadow, donning its sunglasses with a cocky flourish.

"Ka-kah! (Let's do this!)"

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Powerstones?

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