The Moon is So Full Tonight

Kanto, Cinnabar Island.

Situated in the southernmost part of the Kanto region, this large island is home to both an active volcano and natural hot springs, much like Lavaridge Town in the Hoenn region.

It is a must-visit tourist destination in Kanto.

Woo, woo——

The sea breeze carried a faint warmth mixed with a hint of sulfur as it brushed past, while Wingulls soared low over the blue waters.

There was no denying it—

As winter approached, the volcanic activity on Cinnabar Island made its weather exceptionally pleasant.

As soon as Johan and his team stepped off the boat, they were greeted by numerous attendants trying to attract customers, most of whom worked for the island's inns.

The streets were lined with various shops, and the tourists strolling about were mostly dressed in Alolan-style floral shirts and beach shorts.

Embracing the idea of blending in and enjoying their vacation, Johan led his Pokémon into a beachwear shop.

"Alola!"

The shopkeeper, dressed in a blue beach outfit, greeted them warmly as they entered.

"Oh? An Alolan Vulpix! That's quite rare to see!"

It was evident the shopkeeper was originally from the Alola region and had opened this shop on Cinnabar Island.

"Alola," Johan replied with a smile.

In the Alola region, "Alola" was a greeting that meant "hello," "goodbye," or even "I love you," encompassing sentiments of hope, love, peace, and happiness. It was a very warm and friendly greeting.

With Johan's response, combined with the sight of the Alolan Vulpix, the shopkeeper became even more enthusiastic and offered them a significant discount.

When Johan emerged from the shop, he was wearing a beach outfit adorned with pink cherries and carrying Vulpix, now adorned with a beautiful flower garland.

Behind him:

Gengar wore its wind goggles and a purple floral shirt, while Tinkatuff sported a smaller blue floral shirt.

As for Dragonair, it had donned a pale yellow wide-brimmed beach hat that covered most of its head, making it a bit difficult for it to see the road.

"Dragonair, this way."

Cinnabar Island had numerous inns, including several owned by Team Rocket.

But Johan, experienced as he was, knew how to pick a reliable hot spring inn.

Nightfall.

The sound of trickling water accompanied Johan as he carried a large platter of fruit toward an open-air hot spring shrouded in mist.

Plop!

Splash!

Warm water splashed over him, drenching his face.

Johan: "..."

With a stiff expression, he wiped the water off his face and looked at Gengar, who was floating on its back in the spring. His eye twitched slightly.

The chubby prankster had jumped in headfirst, causing the water level to rise dramatically and spill over the edges!

Having bathed in hot springs before, Gengar was entirely at ease and not the least bit shy. It waved at Johan and the others, laughing gleefully.

"Ka-kaah!"

Here I go! Blub, blub, blub—

Diving underwater, it started freestyle swimming.

Next was Tinkatuff.

Tentatively, it dipped one small foot into the water, hesitated, then, reassured it was only slightly hot, took a deep breath and jumped in, mimicking Gengar's style.

Splash!

However...

Blub, blub, blub—

A few bubbles rose to the surface, but Tinkatuff didn't resurface.

Knowing Tinkatuff had jumped in with its hammer again, Gengar, unfazed, took a deep breath and dove to retrieve it.

Dragonair, also experiencing a hot spring for the first time, slid in with a plop and happily floated around.

It surfaced after a while, grinning at Johan before letting out a contented burp.

Johan massaged his temples.

Trouble.

"Oowu, oowu..."

If any of his Pokémon were afraid of water, it would undoubtedly be Vulpix.

Like Tinkatuff, Vulpix cautiously approached the spring, extending a tiny paw to test the water.

"Oowu! (>_<)"< strong>

Too hot!

Familiar with its timid nature, Johan smirked mischievously, scooped it up, and jumped into the spring together.

"Oowu! Oowu—!!"

Every bath with Vulpix was a chaotic affair, but once it settled in, it always ended up enjoying itself.

Minutes later, the spring quieted down.

Only five heads—Johan, Gengar, Vulpix, Dragonair, and Tinkatuff—rested against the edge of the spring, each topped with a white towel.

Oh, and there was a hammer leaning on the edge, half-submerged, also draped with a towel.

"Ah, this is the life~~" Johan said, eyes half-closed.

The Pokémon collectively sighed in agreement: (￣▽￣)

The hot spring was incredibly relaxing.

Beep-beep!

Just as Johan was fully unwinding, his phone rang.

He opened it to find a video message from Cynthia.

The star of the video? Her Garchomp.

"Rooooar—!!"

In the video, Garchomp's eyes glowed red as it brandished its sharp scythes and roared.

If translated, the meaning would roughly be:

"Look at me, you coward!"

Johan's eye twitched as he elbowed Gengar.

"Ka-kaah?"

"It's for you."

He showed Gengar the video.

"Ka-kaah!! Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)"

Click!

Johan snapped a photo of Gengar's startled expression and sent it to Cynthia.

[Grain in the Field]: It seems to know it was wrong.

[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: Garchomp says, 'Don't run after school next time.' (Gengar taunt.jpg)

Johan: "..."

Hold on.

Gengar sent the video, Dragonair showed off its Dragon Dance, so why was he being blamed?

[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: Are you soaking in a hot spring?

Noticing that Gengar seemed to be in a hot spring, Cynthia quickly shifted the topic.

Seeing a chance to steer the conversation away, Johan replied without hesitation.

[Grain in the Field]: Yes, you should join us next time.

It wasn't until he hit send that he realized his mistake.

A shiver ran down his spine as he imagined Garchomp and Lucario glaring at him from behind.

Just as he was about to retract the message—

[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: Sure.

Cynthia, far away in Unova, blushed slightly and put her phone away.

Nearby, Caitlin gave her a suspicious look. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just… the moon's really round tonight."

Caitlin glanced out the window.

There was no moon.

After soaking in the hot spring and changing into fresh clothes, Johan planned to take his Pokémon to watch Cinnabar Island's unique volcanic movie.

But as he stepped out the door—

A man with a brown wig, fake mustache, round glasses, and a flamboyant red outfit suddenly appeared in front of him.

"You're..." Johan studied the man, finding him vaguely familiar.

"Hey, want to solve a riddle? There's a prize if you guess right!" the man said cheerfully.

A riddle?

Before Johan could respond, Gengar eagerly raised its hand, grinning mischievously.

"Ka-kaah!"

Me! Me!

Finally recognizing the odd man, Johan said, "So, you're... Blaine, the Gym Leader?"

The man stiffened, clutching his head.

"B-Blaine? Who's Blaine? Never heard of him!"

Seeing Johan's skeptical look, the man sighed, removed his wig and glasses, and said, "You figured it out. I expected no less from you, Teacher Johan."

Johan: "..."

So, everyone in the Pokémon world has this much faith in their disguises?

Or is this just a Team Rocket tradition?

Gengar gasped dramatically, pointing at the unmasked man.

"Ka-kaah?!"

It was a disguise?!

Blaine laughed heartily. "Now that's the reaction I expected!"

Johan sighed internally.

Can I pretend I don't know these people?

Still, Blaine's appearance was unexpected yet made sense.

After all, among Team Rocket's undercover executives, Blaine was the only one Johan hadn't faced yet.

Feeling his Pokémon's eagerness, Johan exhaled.

"Very well," he said, his gaze sharp.

"Please accept my Gym challenge, Blaine!"

"Oh?" Blaine paused, looked at the Volcano Badge in his hand, and put it away with a smile.

"Very well. Let's battle!"

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Powerstones?

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