“Still 29 Years to Go? Oh, Never Mind Then” (BONUS)
Bonus for 1000 powerstones.
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Johan had been pondering something.
In the games, each Pokémon could only hold one item at a time, but was that really the case in the real-world Pokémon universe?
He hadn't looked into it much yet.
If there weren't any restrictions...
He had a bold idea.
For most Pokémon, "holding" an item was literal and visible. So having a Shedinja wrapped in something like a dozen Focus Sashes wasn't feasible. But with Haunter and its dimensional storage abilities? Imagine if it could carry around, say, eight Shell Bells and twelve Leftovers for constant healing...
At the very least, it could cram itself with a belly full of Sitrus Berries.
As he saw a Gym staff member reminding the current challenger about item regulations, however, he got the picture.
In official Pokémon battles, the rules were indeed quite strict.
This setup was obviously prohibited. Otherwise, the gap between wealthy and less affluent trainers would be absurdly wide.
Of course, in unofficial matches, like wild battles, who knew what was possible?
Imagine an alpaca adorned with twelve Plates. What would Giratina even think of rebelling?
"Next up: challenger Sanae from Verdanturf Town!"
The Gym Leader walked onto the stage simultaneously.
Huh?
Roxanne?
Johan's eyes widened slightly as he saw her step onto the field.
In the Pokémon world, Gym leadership was often inherited, passed from parent to child, or from teacher to disciple. There were exceptions, though—like when Wallace, the Sootopolis Gym Leader, became the Champion of Hoenn and handed the Gym over to his own mentor, Juan.
So was Roxanne standing in as acting Gym Leader for the holiday break?
Sure enough, the referee's introduction referred to her as "acting Gym Leader," confirming his hunch.
Johan felt a pang of hesitation.
A teacher challenging their student?
If he lost, it would be embarrassing. And if he won, people might think it was a given. Worse, they might assume the student went easy on him.
But on second thought, Johan shrugged it off.
He was a Pokémon psychology teacher, not a battle instructor.
Plus, he was here to give Haunter and the others some battle experience. Winning or losing didn't matter all that much.
"Graveler, Heavy Slam!"
Boom!
The ground quaked as Roxanne's Graveler stomped hard, instantly knocking out its opponent's Pokémon.
"Roxanne's really strong!"
"They say she's actually ready to take over as Gym Leader, but she has to finish school first."
"Didn't she only recently start training that Graveler? And it's already that powerful?"
The crowd was clearly filled with Roxanne's supporters.
Johan recognized that Graveler, too. Wasn't that the same "Stone King" from before?
After being put through "counseling" by Haunter, it seemed to have mellowed out. Its expression was still aloof, but it was now obedient to Roxanne's commands and quite well-coordinated with her.
"I think I finally understand why Volkner lost interest in Gym battles…"
Johan muttered, watching Roxanne's Graveler effortlessly sweep through three challengers in a row.
And afterward, Roxanne had to kindly explain their shortcomings and offer words of encouragement.
"You know Volkner?" Cynthia asked, surprised.
"I met him once," Johan replied, nodding. "Actually, now that I think of it, I may need your help when you're back in Sinnoh."
With Cynthia's support, Volkner's situation might finally be addressed.
"Alright."
"Now calling our next challenger—Pokémon Psychology teacher from Rustboro Academy, Johan!"
At the referee's signal, Johan stepped into the challenger's area of the field.
Spectators in the stands were already whispering.
"A teacher from Rustboro Academy? Isn't he Roxanne's teacher? But he looks so young…doesn't seem much older than Roxanne."
"Didn't you hear? He's a Pokémon psychology teacher, not a battle instructor. He probably isn't that great at battling."
"Wait, Johan? That name rings a bell…"
"..."
"Mr. Johan," Roxanne said, bowing slightly from her side of the field. Her face was tense, and she wore a focused expression.
Roxanne knew little about Johan's skill level.
Honestly, Johan himself, despite his mental preparation, felt a bit awkward.
Teacher versus student…not a great look if word got out.
He also wasn't exactly familiar with Roxanne's battle capabilities. But if she was acting Gym Leader, there was bound to be a powerhouse Pokémon from the original Leader on standby.
"Haunter, be careful out there," Johan whispered.
"Ka-kah~~"
A voice and a chuckle echoed from the shadows at his feet.
No problem. I feel invincible right now!
The referee quickly explained the rules. Rustboro Gym used a 3v3 format, with each side fighting until one team's three Pokémon were fully knocked out.
"Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
"Go, Haunter," Johan said calmly.
Haunter emerged from Johan's shadow, surrounded by wisps of black fog, grinning wickedly.
"Ka-kah! (▼⊿▼)"
"Graveler?"
Roxanne glanced at Graveler, noticing its tense expression and the slight pallor on its face.
It recognized Haunter. This was the same one that had "taught" it a lesson before—a memory it would rather forget.
But after taking a few deep breaths, Graveler's expression gradually steeled.
It remembered Johan saying that if it worked well with Roxanne, it could have a chance to beat Haunter.
With that in mind, its confidence returned.
"Grav-eler!"
"Good!" Roxanne beamed, pointing forward. "Show Mr. Johan how much we've improved!"
Graveler, the evolved form of Geodude, was a Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon.
"Ka-kah~~" Haunter clearly recognized Graveler, giving it a friendly wave as it removed its sunglasses.
Hey there, long time no see, little stone.
Graveler kept a stony expression as it rumbled deeply.
"Gravvvv—"
"Don't underestimate us. Thirty years of hard work, right back at you!"
Good. It didn't seem to have developed "Haunter trauma."
Johan was pleased with this outcome.
After all, Graveler was the first Pokémon he had "treated" since coming to this world. He didn't want to fix one psychological issue only to accidentally create another.
Still, considering Graveler's stats—its defensive type, special defense, and speed...
The referee blew the starting whistle:
"Battle, begin!"
"Graveler, Dig!"
Rocks and dirt flew everywhere as Graveler burrowed underground, leaving a rough path of rocky humps in its wake.
Johan blinked, surprised.
A Ground-type move like Dig would have no effect on Haunter, given its Levitate ability. Roxanne should know that.
So...was this just to avoid a head-on clash with Haunter?
Shrugging it off, he quickly gave his command:
"Haunter, Nasty Plot. Watch for movement underground."
"Ka-kah~~"
Haunter's eyes gleamed with dark energy, its already mischievous look growing even more sly.
Roxanne's nerves tightened as she watched Haunter stay in place, successfully pulling off Nasty Plot. She knew dragging this battle out would be disadvantageous.
If Haunter managed to stack up Nasty Plot, even her father's Pokémon wouldn't be able to withstand its onslaught!
"Graveler, now! Rollout!"
The ground rumbled as Graveler burst from below, arms tucked in as it spun into a high-speed roll, heading straight for Haunter.
So she turned Dig into Rollout—a good strategy to close the distance to Haunter?
The Rock-type move Rollout had a base power of only 30, but it doubled with each consecutive turn—meaning it could quickly escalate to 60, 120, 240, or even a devastating 480 power by the end!
If paired with Defense Curl, Rollout's power would double even further, reaching a mind-boggling 960!
That's a one-hit-wonder right there.
The only real downside was the slight dip in accuracy during its use.
But the high speed of Rollout made up for Graveler's lack of agility.
Johan remembered how much grief Whitney's Miltank and its Rollout caused him back in Gold/Silver.
It could roll and heal itself—a real nightmare.
Johan narrowed his eyes.
Rollout was formidable, but only if it could pick up speed.
At its current rate, Haunter could withstand it just fine.
"Shadow Ball!"
"Ka-kah!"
Haunter's eyes flashed as it conjured a perfect, dark sphere between its hands and lobbed it toward the incoming Graveler.
Boom!
Dark energy erupted on impact.
"Gravvvv…"
Graveler staggered, falling to the ground with a dazed expression.
It had never encountered a Rollout interrupted so forcefully before.
And what was with this searing pain? Was winning even possible?
Roxanne was stunned as well.
Mr. Johan's Haunter seemed far stronger than it had during the "Tower Climb" competition.
The crowd was abuzz with astonishment.
"Is this the same Rollout that wiped out three Pokémon earlier?"
"You should be asking if this guy's
really a Pokémon psychology teacher."
"Is this even fair?"
Off in the corner of the stands…
"His progress has been impressive," Diantha noted, amazed.
Cynthia gave a knowing smile.
"When a trainer and Pokémon are in sync, growth can be extraordinary."
She had personally seen Haunter swallow a Shadow Ball itself.
She'd never witnessed a learning approach quite like "tasting."
Johan, meanwhile, wasn't too surprised by Haunter's prowess.
Honestly…
With Graveler's special defense stats… and Haunter's boosted power from both the Spell Tag and Nasty Plot, it would have been surprising if it hadn't knocked out Graveler.
"Haunter, Lick."
Haunter drifted next to the downed Graveler and lightly flicked its tongue against it.
"Ka-kah~~"
"Still got 29 years to go, huh? You can do it, little stone."
Who knows if it was fatigue or Haunter's words, but Graveler's eyes rolled back as it fainted.
"Graveler is unable to battle!"
The referee, though stunned, kept a professional tone as he made the official call.
"Ka-kah~~ヾ(▼▼;)"
Stay calm. Bring on the next one.