Chương 116: Ruthless Flower Crusher, Teacher Johan! (BONUS)
"Boss!"
In Viridian City, Kanto, Sabrina entered Team Rocket's base, with an Alakazam holding two spoons by her side.
Giovanni looked up from his documents, and a faint smile crossed his face when he saw her.
"Looks like your strength has improved quite a bit."
Sabrina barely touched the ground as she floated a little above the floor, shrugging indifferently. "I don't even know why. Alakazam and I were always meditating, but he never evolved. Lately, we've been doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and watching shows, and suddenly—bam! He evolved."
Giovanni chuckled, appreciating Sabrina's remarkable psychic potential, especially with Alakazam by her side. To Giovanni, she was more than just a strong trainer; she was one of his most promising talents, as he valued and even nurtured the unique potential of his team.
"So, all this is because of that guy, 'Grain in the Field'?"
"Yep!"
Sabrina looked instantly intrigued at the mention of Johan's alias, crossing her legs mid-air as if seated on an invisible chair. From an early age, she'd been a top-tier psychic with unmatched abilities, resulting in a somewhat eccentric and unapproachable personality. Once, she'd even turned her mother into a doll. This had left her friendless for much of her life, as she regarded most people as too weak or clueless to be worth her time.
Except Giovanni, who had earned her respect—and now, it seemed, this person named Johan.
"Boss, I think he's good. You're always looking for talent, right? He's definitely got it." She suggested with interest.
"Oh?"
Giovanni smiled knowingly, nodding slightly. "Understood."
"Great! Alakazam and I are off to challenge Mewtwo!"
Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "You may want to be careful."
"Hmm?"
"Mewtwo's been… in a mood lately," Giovanni said vaguely.
"What do you mean?"
Giovanni didn't answer directly, but Matori, standing nearby, adjusted her glasses and added, "Recently, its power supply was… interrupted."
"Interrupted?" Sabrina looked confused but shrugged.
"Got it. We'll be going now, Boss."
In unison, her and Alakazam's eyes glowed faintly with a light blue energy, and they disappeared from Giovanni's office.
After Sabrina left, Giovanni turned to Matori. "Once Mewtwo has vented its frustration, reconnect the lab's power supply."
He was genuinely curious to see what effect Johan could have on a force as volatile as Mewtwo.
"Understood." Matori made a note.
Seizing the moment while Giovanni was resting, she hesitated briefly before taking out a small, neatly wrapped box.
"Boss, um… I made some macarons…"
The next morning.
For once, Johan woke up naturally, undisturbed by Haunter licking his face, Vulpix freezing him, or Tinkatink accidentally breaking something.
This struck him as strange—and surprising.
He glanced around.
Haunter was floating upside down on the ceiling, holding the freshly printed "Thirty-Six Essentials of Dream Manipulation" in one hand, with a "Curse Talisman" in the other, muttering strange phrases as if in a trance.
Vulpix lay on the floor in front of "Seventy-Two Methods of Meditation," occasionally closing its eyes with faint pulses of psychic energy emanating from it.
Meanwhile, Tinkatink was swinging its hammer with gusto, seemingly unbothered by the restrictive "Power Band," which was having less and less effect on its strength with each passing day.
"So, everyone's cramming last minute, huh?"
Johan shook his head, then got up to wash up and prepare breakfast for his three little "lords."
The quality of their Pokéblocks had greatly improved lately, and Johan could already sense how the upgraded food was impacting Haunter, Vulpix, and Tinkatink. However, there was a downside…
The trio's energy levels were off the charts.
"Well, today's battle will be a good chance to burn off that energy. Who knows, we might even walk away with some cool prizes."
As for taking first place? That was wishful thinking.
But a spot in the top eight and a move-learning TM as a prize? That seemed attainable.
At Rustboro Academy, the students were in high spirits, having just emerged from the ordeal of midterms.
There was nothing more thrilling than watching their own teachers face off against each other in exams—or rather, battles.
The "Trainer Test" was a highly anticipated, semesterly event at Rustboro Academy, not only serving as a teacher assessment but also as an opportunity for students to evaluate which instructors to work with. Those nearing graduation would look to strong, experienced teachers to guide them through the next steps, whether for advanced study or preparation for competition.
Rustboro Academy's "Trainer Test" was also open to the public, making it a massive publicity event for the academy, especially as the largest Pokémon school in Hoenn.
Rustboro Academy boasted its own stadium, the "Devon-Magma Fuel Arena," which was exclusively reserved for major events such as exams or city tournaments.
When Johan arrived at the stadium, he was surprised to find that there were far more participants than expected—teachers from not only the trainer department but also the breeder, coordination, and strategy departments had joined. Ironically, only a handful of the actual trainer department's instructors were there.
After gathering in the main hall, the teachers drew numbers to determine the order of matches.
Johan drew number 15, a mid-range position, neither too early nor too late. The administrators then outlined the assessment structure. The battles would cover everything from standard 1v1 elimination matches to double battles and rental battles, essentially testing the instructors' all-around skills.
For today, however, they'd begin with simple 1v1 elimination rounds, as there were many participants.
At 10 a.m., the first round of Rustboro Academy's instructor test officially began.
The large stadium had been divided into numerous smaller arenas, allowing multiple matches to take place simultaneously.
The student stands were packed, with students cheering for their respective instructors. Over the past months, Johan had gained some recognition within the academy, so when he took the stage, a decent amount of applause greeted him.
In the stands, Steven, Roxanne, and Flannery sat together.
"So, Mr. Johan signed up! I wonder how far he'll get…"
Flannery mused with interest.
Steven was confident. "Mr. Johan's not just good at tactics—he's definitely strong."
But Roxanne shook her head, her expression unusually serious.
Under Steven and Flannery's puzzled gazes, she added, "Mr. Johan's strength isn't just 'not weak'—it's very strong! Extremely strong!"
Huh?
Roxanne went on to explain how Johan had once challenged her family's gym.
"What?" Flannery's jaw dropped. "He even took down your dad's Sandslash?"
That was the ace Pokémon of an official Gym Leader!
Roxanne sighed, giving her friend an exasperated look.
She couldn't deny it—yes, Sandslash had indeed been "crushed."
Steven chuckled, his gaze fixed intently on Johan as he stepped onto the battlefield.
"Maybe… Mr. Johan's true strength will finally be revealed during this assessment."
Johan muttered to himself, "Guess that bath trick really worked…"
His first-round opponent was a delicate-looking lady dressed in a traditional kimono, gently cheering on her Bulbasaur beside her.
From the crowd's cheers, Johan quickly gathered that her name was Yuka, the academy's flower arrangement instructor, and most of her students were gentle, demure girls.
This was Yuka's first match, and Johan suddenly found himself in a dilemma.
If he went all out, he'd risk upsetting her entire fanbase.
"Hey, Vulpix, want to take this one?" Johan whispered, raising a Poké Ball.
The Poké Ball remained perfectly still.
Vulpix wasn't interested in fighting a weak opponent.
"Ka-kah! Ka-kah!" (I'll do it! I'll do it!)
Haunter's sinister cackle echoed from the shadows. If Vulpix didn't want to, Haunter was more than happy to oblige.
"Vulpix?" Johan asked again.
"Ka-kah! Ka-kah!" (Me, me! Hello? Can you hear me?)
Johan sighed. "Well, guess I don't have a choice."
Ka-kah! Haunter thought gleefully. This is going to be fun!
At the referee's signal, the trainers prepared to send out their Pokémon.
"Go, Bulbasaur!"
Bulbasaur, the dual-type Grass/Poison Seed Pokémon, took the field, earning it the nickname "Garlic Tortoise."
"Bulba!"
Johan tossed his own Poké Ball.
"Alright, Tinkatink, you're up."
Chu! (｀ω´)
With a determined expression, Tinkatink hefted its hammer, ready for action.
Haunter: ???
"Oh, what adorable Pokémon!"
"This will be such a sweet match!"
Relieved, Yuka smiled warmly at Johan, who, in her mind, had kindly chosen a "harmless" Pokémon.
At the referee's signal, the battle began.
"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!"
Two bright green vines shot from beneath Bulbasaur's seed, lashing toward Tinkatink.
Johan took a quick glance at Bul
basaur's stats and then commanded, "Tinkatink, use Ice Hammer!"
Chu!
With no hesitation, Tinkatink threw its full strength into the swing, leaping into the air to avoid the Vine Whip. Its small hammer instantly coated in a thick layer of ice, tripling in size.
Seeing this, Johan immediately regretted his choice.
Bulba... Bulba...(O_O;)
BOOM!
The entire battlefield trembled as rocks and dust flew everywhere, the impact creating a sizeable crater.
The stands went dead silent.
Tinkatink landed gracefully, slinging its hammer over its shoulder and proudly brushing off its hands as if to say, "Easy job."
As the dust cleared, Bulbasaur lay in the center of the pit, eyes swirling in defeat.
"Bul...Bulbasaur!"
Tears welled up in Yuka's eyes as she rushed to her Pokémon's side.
The referee's hand shook as he declared, "The, uh, winner is... Mr. Johan, from the Pokémon Psychology department!"
The audience was stunned.
"That… That was…"
"Savage! Such power!"
"Ruthless Flower Crusher, Teacher Johan!"
Tinkatink gave a triumphant wave to the crowd, and Johan quickly grabbed it and dashed off the field.
Disaster! He knew he'd be on the academy news boards by afternoon!
Honestly, he should have let Haunter take this match. At least Bulbasaur would've gone down a little slower.
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