Pokemon: Psychic Master

"Oowoo~~"

Be careful.

As Johan prepared to open the scroll gifted by Agatha, Ninetales immediately warned him to stay cautious.

"It's fine," Johan reassured her with a smile.

Ka-kah had already checked it earlier. Slowly unfurling the scroll, Johan discovered it contained Agatha's expertise in training Gengar and similar Ghost Pokémon.

Unlike the broader advice given in the Fear Guide sent by Lance, this scroll focused solely on maximizing Gengar's potential.

It included methods to allow Gengar to absorb and utilize more Ghost energy, methods Agatha developed by creating a "Ghost Legion" to nourish her Gengar.

However, Johan's Ka-kah already possessed enormous Ghost energy from multiple sources—its thousand-year slumber, the essence of an ancient giant Gengar, and even residual power from Giratina.

The scroll also detailed moves that Gengar could master—such as Perish Song.

"Ka-kah?!"

Ka-kah's eyes lit up at the mention of Perish Song.

It had once hesitated about Johan's "Perish Strategy," as the move risked taking itself out along with opponents.

But now, Ka-kah had a new perspective: if it could target an entire group instead of just one...

"Ka-kaah~~"

Ka-kah laughed with glee, hands on its hips.

Finally, it could show off its singing prowess!

"Ha..." Johan rubbed his forehead.

Other Pokémon sing for money; his Gengar sings to take lives.

As he read further down the scroll, Johan's gaze sharpened. Without a word, he prepared to close the scroll.

The next move listed was Spectral Trickery.

**[Spectral Trickery: Power 110. Detects the target's held item and uses it against them.]**

If Ka-kah mastered this alongside Tinkaton's Thief, opponents' items wouldn't just be stolen—they'd be weaponized. It would be too dirty a trick even by Johan's standards.

Ka-kah tilted its head, already sensing Johan's hesitation.

"Ka-kah? |ω)"

Noticing its trainer's reluctance, Ka-kah leaned in with its signature mischievous grin, threatening a playful lick if Johan didn't share.

Johan sighed and relented.

"Fine. Take it. All yours."

"Ka-kaah~~!"

Ka-kah cheered, clutching the scroll like treasure.

Later that afternoon, Johan received a call from Steven.

"Teacher, we've arrived. Where are you?"

Soon after, Steven, Roxanne, and Flannery found him in the training area, keeping his Pokémon sharp.

"Already finished your exams?" Johan asked with curiosity.

"Not entirely," Flannery replied candidly. "We finished the battle assessments and came right over!"

Roxanne clarified, "The battle exams are earlier than the written ones, so we had a few days of free time."

"How did you do?"

"Steven went all-out. Total annihilation," Flannery said dramatically.

"I wouldn't say that," Steven replied, smiling modestly.

Johan chuckled, feeling a strange sense of relief.

He no longer felt guilty about his own high-stakes tactics in the league.

Steven handed him a bag. "We also brought you something—straight from home."

Curious, Johan opened the bag to find it filled with coffee from his own café.

"How did you manage this?"

"It wasn't easy," Roxanne said. "The café was packed. We had to wait ages!"

The fourth day of the Indigo League arrived—the Round of 16.

Johan's flawless victories had created a buzz, but the previous day's match broke his streak of sweeping opponents.

Kubfu had stubbornly insisted it hadn't fought enough, so Johan let it start the battle against a trainer specializing in Flying Pokémon.

Though Kubfu defeated two opponents, Johan withdrew it to avoid overexertion and let Dragonair finish the job.

The 3-0 streak was gone, but Johan's zero-loss record remained intact.

As the competition narrowed to 16 contestants, heated debates about the favorites erupted online.

Some viewed Johan as a rising star. Others leaned toward familiar faces like Reizo from Sinnoh, Ilima from Alola, or Gudrian from Unova.

Predictions varied:

"Reizo's Pokémon are on another level.""Johan's Gengar and Ninetales haven't even appeared yet!""Ilima might be the dark horse—he's multi-talented!"

Johan noticed one glaring omission: no one mentioned Tinkaton.

That wouldn't do.

Johan turned to Tinkaton with a grin. "Next match is yours. Let's give them a reason to talk about you."

"Chaa!!" Tinkaton's eyes sparkled, its hammer gleaming eagerly.

Thunderous applause echoed in the Grass Arena as Reizo's Drapion delivered the final blow to his opponent's Sunflora.

"And we have our first Top 8 finalist—Reizo from Sinnoh!" the announcer declared.

The audience erupted in cheers.

Reizo's expression didn't change. He recalled Drapion, glanced coldly at his defeated opponent, and walked off.

"What a jerk," Flannery muttered from the stands.

"Everyone has their style," Johan replied, smiling amicably.

Steven adjusted his tie. "You're up next, Teacher."

Johan stood, adjusting his glasses with a confident glint.

Flannery shouted after him, "Make sure you show him what real arrogance looks like!"

Johan chuckled.

Time to make Tinkaton shine.

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Powerstones?

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