Pokemon: Psychic Master

5 bonus chapter's coming out at 11 AM EST. So I ask that you save you're powerstones until then.

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In the evening, Johan dined with Steven, Flannery, Roxanne, and Professor Oak's group at a hotel near Indigo Plateau.

It was a casual gathering to chat and enjoy the lively atmosphere, but it also served as a small celebration of Johan making it to the quarterfinals.

Though celebrating this early might seem premature, advancing to the top eight was indeed a big milestone.

For most trainers, especially first-time competitors, reaching the top eight was a major achievement.

From this stage onward, all matches would be held in the main arena and broadcast live across all platforms by the league.

Unlike the preliminary rounds, where matches in different arenas split viewership, the main arena only had one channel for live coverage.

In other words, the viewership would at least quadruple!

Johan, having lived in a world where "traffic is king," understood better than anyone what such exposure could bring.

Even something as simple as endorsing a product, like Leon did, could yield massive profits.

With increased fame and supporters, opportunities to participate in minor tournaments or exhibition matches would also roll in, bringing in considerable funds.

Many champions like Cynthia, Diantha, and Lorelei derived a significant portion of their income from such events.

But more importantly, from the top eight onward, all matches would be full 6v6 battles. The difficulty would spike dramatically.

Some trainers who shone in 3v3 battles might struggle in 6v6, simply because of the greater number of Pokémon they needed to train and rotate.

According to Johan's research, only one other top-eight finalist was a first-time league participant besides him.

That trainer wasn't highly regarded by most people.

Johan, however, was an exception.

Some people had previously speculated that his Kubfu and Dragonair were his strongest Pokémon.

But after witnessing his Tinkaton's sheer destructive power during its "one-hammer sweep," those doubts vanished.

In fact, many now believed that Tinkaton was stronger than Dragonair, and certainly stronger than Kubfu.

Naturally, this led people to speculate how powerful Johan's Ninetales and Gengar might be.

Given the circumstances, a small celebration seemed fitting.

Even Lorelei, who had just wrapped up an exam, came to join them.

And as for who would pick up the bill...

No one needed to.

The hotel belonged to Steven's family.

"Johan, can you teach me how to train my Pokémon?" Ash asked, his face smeared with cake, eyes sparkling with excitement.

Already passionate about becoming a Pokémon Master, Ash's desire grew even stronger after watching Johan's matches.

He dreamed of commanding his Pokémon with the same calm confidence, achieving those effortless sweeps.

"Hmm..."

Johan clicked his tongue, pondering how to respond to Ash's request.

After some thought, he said:

"Ash, as someone who's been through this, let me give you a few pieces of advice."

Ash nodded eagerly.

"First, never release your Pokémon without a good reason."

"Huh?"

Ash tilted his head in confusion.

Why would he release his Pokémon for no reason?

Who would be bored enough to do that?

"Second, if you leave a Pokémon somewhere and promise to pick it up later, do it as soon as possible."

"Of course! I wouldn't want to be apart from my Pokémon for too long!" Ash clenched his fists with determination.

Johan chuckled and continued.

"Third, if you have the chance to step in yourself, don't always rely on your Pokémon to do the fighting."

"Huh?"

Ash scratched his head, utterly perplexed by Johan's advice.

What kind of suggestions were these?

Still, he trusted Johan's strength and wisdom, so he nodded in agreement.

Most people present took Johan's words as a joke.

Only Professor Oak seemed to be deep in thought, casting a curious glance at Johan.

Had Johan noticed something special about Ash?

After dinner, Professor Oak called Johan out to the balcony.

"Johan, did you sense something unique about Ash?"

Sense?

Did he need to sense it?

Everyone from Pallet Town was practically superhuman!

Especially Ash.

He had been resurrected multiple times—once even by Ho-Oh.

And considering Ho-Oh's legendary connection to the creation of the three Legendary Beasts...

If Ho-Oh revived Ash, then logically speaking...

Ash = Three Legendary Beasts.

"No, I just think..." Johan smiled faintly before continuing, "That kid has the potential to be incredible."

Professor Oak chuckled softly.

"Funny you should say that. There were two people in whom I once saw reflections of my younger self."

"Red and Ash?"

Red would be starting his journey soon, while Ash probably had another two years to go.

Oak nodded. "Yes. But now, I've found a third."

Johan felt a chill run down his spine.

Please don't say my name.

The people you "see yourself in" always end up enduring insane trials!

Red was frozen in ice for years, and Ash? He died and came back to life countless times.

Still, curiosity got the better of him.

"Green?" he guessed.

Oak shook his head.

"Green is a fine boy, but perhaps because he spends so much time helping me, he's a bit... too rational."

Great.

Now rationality was a bad thing.

Thinking about it, though, it made sense. Pokémon often performed better when their trainers could inspire them with raw emotion rather than cold logic.

People like Red and Ash, with their emotionally driven personalities, were particularly good at triggering those "comeback" moments.

Wait a minute.

I'm pretty rational, too.

Johan frowned, wondering what Oak was getting at.

The professor gave him a serious look.

"You remind me a lot of myself when I was young."

Me?

No way!

I'd never be such a heartbreaker!

"In fact, I'd say you're even more talented than I was back then." Oak smiled warmly.

Johan clutched his chest dramatically.

"Ugh, my heart!"

Feeling a bit unsettled, he quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, Professor Oak, I ran into Chrysa recently."

Oak froze for a moment, his expression turning complicated.

His lips parted slightly before he carefully asked, "How... how is she doing?"

Johan shot him a sideways glance.

"She asked me to pass on a message."

Oak forced a wry smile.

"Let me guess... it was a curse or a hex aimed at me?"

Johan smirked.

"No. She said... you should cut back on smoking."

Oak's entire body stiffened.

He stood frozen in place.

Satisfied, Johan took a deep breath and headed back inside, leaving one final remark.

"Maybe you should visit her sometime."

As he walked back inside, Johan's face broke into a mischievous grin.

Ah, revenge feels sweet.

Alone on the balcony, Oak slowly pulled out a cigarette from his pocket.

Lighting it, he took a deep drag.

The soft glow illuminated his conflicted expression.

"Puff... sigh..."

The fifth day of the Indigo League Tournament.

The schedule was intense, with one round completed almost every day—a real test of both trainers' and Pokémon's endurance.

Today marked the semifinals.

The venue had moved to the main stadium, where the sacred flames of Moltres burned brightly.

The crowd's enthusiasm was at an all-time high.

"Today, we have some very special guests joining us!"

The announcer hyped up the audience and viewers alike.

"Please welcome the esteemed Professor Oak, a leading figure in Pokémon research!"

"Next, the Fighting-type Elite Four member from Kanto, Bruno!"

"And finally, the Gym Leader from Ecruteak City in Johto, Morty!"

Each name was met with roaring applause.

At first glance, Morty seemed the least notable of the three.

However, those in the know understood his strength.

If he had accepted the League's invitation to become an Elite Four member, someone else would've had to step down.

Bruno was arguably the weakest of the three in terms of seniority.

In the trainers' lounge, Johan watched the broadcast with a wry smile.

"Most of them are familiar faces."

Professor Oak? No need to say more.

As for Bruno, he and Johan had exchanged contact details after their sparring match and occasionally chatted about combat techniques.

Though, most of their conversations went like this:

Bruno: Johan, I'm bored. Want to spar?

Johan: No.

Bruno: I didn't get my Rage Candy Bar today. I'm pissed. Fight me?

Johan: Nope.

Bruno: ...Spar?

Johan: Still no.

Bruno: ...Fight?

Johan: ...

"You're up first today, and your opponent is tough."

Blue slipped into the lounge, sneaking in with her usual stack of trainer cards for sale.

"Hmm..."

After paying 20 Pokédollars, Johan glanced at his next opponent's card.

His quarterfinal match would be against Mélanie, a Psychic-type specialist from Coumarine City in Kalos.

She had trained under Olympia and had previously reached the semifinals of the Lumiose Conference.

"A tough opponent indeed," Johan mused. "I'll need to take this seriously."

Blue almost dropped her snack.

Wait.

You weren't serious before?!

Psychic-types... Gengar had a disadvantage.

Not that Gengar couldn't fight, but it might make the audience uncomfortable.

"Hmm..." Johan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Let's play it safe this time."

After all, making it to the semifinals guaranteed a payout of at least two million Pokédollars.

For two million...

Playing it safe sounded like a great plan.

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Powerstones?

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