Pokemon: Spiritual Master

A sunny afternoon.

Kanaz Pokémon Advanced Academy, Pokémon Psychology Consultation Room.

"Bzzz bzzz bzzz——"

An annoying sound came from the Onix coffee grinder.

With practiced skill, Johan caught the scattered powder using a Geodude powder scoop, then compacted it with a Graveler tamper before slotting it into the Blastoise coffee machine. He pressed the manual extraction button.

His gaze, however, remained fixed on the paper on his desk.

A Hypothesis on the Relationship Between Pokémon Personality and Performance.

There was no deviation from the topic, nor any mistakes in writing or formatting.

Tick-tock, tick-tock—

As the coffee finished brewing, Johan had also finished quickly browsing the page.

He picked up the Psyduck-themed mug, now full of coffee.

Slowly, he walked over to the window.

Golden sunlight streamed through the glass, warming his chest.

Dust particles floated in the beams of light.

Johan took a small sip of coffee, opened the window, and took a deep breath of the late-summer air, now much cooler.

Exhaling slowly, he murmured to himself:

"Before I knew it, it's already been three days."

His name was Johan. In his previous life, he was a devoted Pokémon enthusiast.

Three days ago, he inexplicably found himself in this world full of Pokémon.

At first, he felt confused and lost.

Thankfully, the original owner of this body had left him a decent job—a Pokémon psychology instructor.

As everyone knows, Pokémon are kind, adorable, and friendly creatures.

Except for the occasional 100,000-volt electric shock, spitting flames of a few hundred degrees, eating a meal that weighs a ton or two, or swallowing a trainer dozens of times. Other than that, they're fine.

And besides, whenever he thought about the fact that these Pokémon were commanded by determined, mentally sound, courageous, and clever ten-year-olds, he felt a strange sense of relief.

Currently, the semester hadn't started yet, so there weren't many students on campus. The playground was empty, with only a few staff members accompanied by Machokes tending to the grass.

Sipping his coffee, Johan strolled back to his desk.

'Even when school starts, I won't be that busy,' he thought to himself, turning on the computer.

He logged into the Pokémon League's official website.

What filled the screen was a flood of news about Pokémon, with today's top headline being—The Dragon Clan Produces Another Prodigy!

"Hah, an old acquaintance," he muttered.

Well, he knew the person, but the person didn't know him.

Below was a poster.

A young man with short reddish-brown hair and a determined face, wearing a confident smile, was dressed in a deep-blue investigator's uniform, with a stylish red cape draped over his shoulders.

Beside him stood a roaring Charizard and a fierce Gyarados.

The poster also had a small text caption:

"Dragon Master Lance Joins Kanto League Investigation Unit! Specialized in training and battling Dragon-type Pokémon, namely: Charizard, Gyarados."

Johan snorted. "If any of those Pokémon weren't Flying-type, I'd believe this news."

He sighed softly. "The world really isn't peaceful."

The role of "investigator" was the clearest proof of that.

In the past few days, Johan had discovered something shocking—the mortality rate for Pokémon Trainers wasn't low!

After all, while some Pokémon were friendly toward humans, there were always others that harbored significant hostility.

Moreover, it wasn't uncommon for a trainer to get injured by an opponent's Pokémon move during a battle.

Not everyone had the same near-superhuman resilience as certain famous trainers.

Of course, Poké Balls weren't expensive, and even ordinary people had the chance to capture Pokémon. There were many people who loved and owned Pokémon.

But there was still a big difference between those people and actual "trainers."

To become a "qualified" trainer, you needed knowledge, resources, wealth, and even connections.

Still, since he was already here, Johan naturally wanted to give the profession of "trainer" a try. But with his current circumstances…

"Seems like aiming for a Pokémon Doctorate is more realistic."

But that was easier said than done.

Shaking his head, he glanced over a few more bits of news and then clicked on a channel dedicated to Pokémon Professors and researchers.

He logged into his account.

The homepage displayed his profile and all the papers and research topics he had published.

The original body's owner had once been a Pokémon scholar, with aspirations of attaining the highest academic degree in the Pokémon world.

But he hadn't made it far before being overwhelmed by the realities of life.

Pokémon psychology wasn't exactly a popular research field.

Moreover, the original owner's focus was on "the potential connection between Pokémon emotions, performance, and their trainer."

To put it simply, it was a deep dive into phrases like "Stand up!" and "Hang in there!"

But as a transmigrator, Johan felt he could use his knowledge to make a few minor adjustments to the original research.

For example, exploring the potential connection between Pokémon personality and stat values.

Suddenly, the direction of the research became much clearer.

He even drafted a hypothesis paper on it and was about to submit it for review.

"Ding!"

Just as he was browsing through the original owner's papers, a chat window popped up.

He clicked on it.

It was from a user named "Who Am I."

"What is the purpose of Pokémon battles?"

The original owner had set up a small online forum titled "Johan's Pokémon Psychology Consultation Room."

The idea was to connect with a wider variety of Pokémon to better understand their psychology, using it as a source for research material.

However, the original owner wasn't very well-known, and online consultations for psychological help didn't seem very reliable, so there weren't many people reaching out.

Since its creation, only a handful of people had ever inquired.

Johan hadn't expected someone to message him today.

Without thinking much, he typed a quick reply: "To become stronger."

"Ding!"

The reply came faster than expected.

He opened it.

"What's the point of becoming stronger?"

'Huh? Not a typical edgy kid?'

From the original owner's rare counseling sessions, it was obvious that most inquiries were from middle school-aged kids. A simple answer like "to become stronger" would ignite their passion.

But not this time.

Before Johan could respond, another message popped up.

"What if you're already the strongest?"

Johan raised an eyebrow.

That was quite a bold statement.

Who could claim to be the strongest? Even future Champions wouldn't dare say that.

He glanced at the username, "Who Am I." Clearly, this person was grappling with serious existential questions, yet they were convinced their Pokémon were the strongest.

After thinking for a moment, Johan skillfully typed a response.

"Sorry, just joking earlier.

There's no definitive answer to the meaning of Pokémon battles. Everyone has their own interpretation. Some battle to get stronger, while others simply enjoy the thrill, the joy of victory, and the excitement of the moment. Some seek a deeper connection with their Pokémon through battle. The answer is something you'll have to discover with your Pokémon."

This time, the reply wasn't as quick.

Perhaps the person was pondering Johan's seemingly cliché response.

After a while, another message came through.

"He seems to enjoy the superiority that strength brings."

He?

Johan froze for a second.

A typo?

Because of his experience writing papers, he was particularly sensitive to wording.

"Then perhaps that's how he enjoys battling. But Pokémon aren't just for fighting. You could try doing non-battle activities together to understand each other better," Johan replied.

"Activities?"

"For example… sharing a favorite meal, watching a movie together, or… cooking a meal together?"

"Cooking?"

Online psychological consultations didn't allow for much.

As a psychology researcher, Johan tried to build a profile from their conversation.

The information was limited, and the resulting analysis was contradictory.

Arrogant, yet deeply self-doubting.

"I'll try talking to him."

Just as Johan was considering whether the person needed in-person counseling, another message came in.

Looking at the words "that person" on the screen, Johan felt a bit dazed.

Wait a minute!

The person on the other end… isn't a Trainer?!

Before he could fully process his surprise, the other person's avatar went dim.

Johan sat there, lips pursed, staring blankly at the screen for a while before finally snapping back to reality.

So, was he just chatting with… a Pokémon?

He glanced at the name of the forum, Johan's Pokémon Psychology Consultation Room.

Well, it kind of made sense.

After all, the consultation room was for Pokémon, right?

But who would have thought that a Pokémon would actually come for a session?

Johan opened his mouth.

After a long pause, he finally muttered:

"…Pretty good at typing."