Pokemon: Psychic Master

"Understood."

After hearing Johan's account of what happened, Brandon nodded gravely.

"Then leave these people and Pokémon to me."

Johan had complete trust in Brandon, who was famously upright and meticulous.

"And as for Jirachi…"

Brandon's gaze shifted to the small, star-shaped Pokémon hiding behind Johan. Jirachi peeked out timidly, its large eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of fear.

Brandon tried to soften his expression, though his attempt at a gentle smile looked a bit stiff.

"I'll leave this little one in your care, Johan. If you need any assistance, you're welcome to come find me at the Battle Frontier."

"Understood." Johan gave a small nod.

Soon after, more personnel descended from the Battle Pyramid to escort the unconscious Team Aqua grunts and their fainted Pokémon back aboard.

Scott, the founder of the Battle Frontier, eagerly approached Johan.

"Johan! Are you sure you don't want to challenge the Battle Frontier?"

His eyes sparkled with excitement. As the one responsible for promoting the Battle Frontier, Scott was always looking for ways to attract challengers and boost its popularity.

Hearing this, Jirachi's eyes lit up.

[Challenge the Battle Frontier! Challenge the Battle Frontier!]

It floated excitedly around Johan, repeating its newfound phrase with glee.

Johan couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'll consider it," he said to Scott.

The Battle Frontier was no joke.

Unlike traditional Gym challenges, the facilities in the Battle Frontier were designed to push Trainers to their limits, testing their skills in ways that regular battles couldn't.

"Perfect! We'll be waiting for you at the Battle Frontier!" Scott beamed, his enthusiasm as infectious as ever.

After clearing the area and taking the Aqua grunts away, Brandon and Scott returned to the Battle Pyramid, disappearing into the sky.

As Johan watched the massive pyramid fly away, a thought crossed his mind.

If Team Aqua is showing up, can Team Magma be far behind?

The peaceful days in the Hoenn region might soon be over.

On their way back to the campsite, Jirachi hummed a cheerful tune, floating and spinning around everyone, clearly in a great mood.

Even the usually reserved Pokémon like Dragonair and Kubfu couldn't resist joining in the playful atmosphere.

"Is it true that Jirachi can grant wishes?" Roxanne asked curiously.

"Wishes?" Flannery's eyes sparkled with excitement. "It can grant any wish?"

Hearing this, Gengar froze.

Its eyes glowed with hope.

Can it grant a wish that will make Johan stay with us forever?

Johan noticed Gengar's eager expression and shot him a warning look.

"Don't even think about it."

"Eh?" Flannery tilted her head, confused by Johan's stern tone.

Johan sighed.

"Making a wish to Jirachi comes with a price."

"A price?"

Johan explained, "Wishes aren't free. It's all about equivalent exchange. Whatever you wish for, you'll have to give up something in return. Even if it doesn't happen right away, you'll pay the price eventually."

"It's better to earn what you want through your own efforts, rather than relying on wishes."

Roxanne murmured thoughtfully, "Equivalent exchange…"

Steven nodded in agreement.

"Teacher is right."

Somehow, hearing Steven agree made the whole conversation feel a bit strange.

Back at the campsite, the atmosphere had lightened significantly.

Despite the earlier conflict with Team Aqua, the unexpected discovery of Jirachi made the trip feel worthwhile.

The concern about Team Aqua would be left to Brandon and Scott for now.

The Next Morning

As dawn broke, Johan was awakened by a familiar voice in his head.

[Johan, let's play!]

He groaned, rubbing his messy hair as he crawled out of the tent.

"Looks like someone's fully recharged after a thousand-year nap," he muttered.

Outside, he spotted Kubfu sitting cross-legged, eyes closed in solemn contemplation.

"Ku~~!"

Kubfu was "thanking the heavens" in its own way.

Thank you, nature, for providing me with endless challenges and pressure!

Johan chuckled.

Judging by Kubfu's demeanor, it seemed another group of wild Pokémon had challenged them overnight… and lost.

And sure enough—

"Ka-kaah~~!"

Gengar grinned wickedly, giving Jirachi a high-five.

Johan's expression turned wary.

"… Please tell me you didn't teach Jirachi anything bad."

Jirachi floated around excitedly, giggling as it explored the campsite.

[Everyone, let's play!]

Charcadet joined in, conjuring a small flame flower in its hand.

The flames bloomed like petals, scattering gently in the air.

[So pretty!]

Jirachi clapped in delight, circling around Charcadet.

The little Fire-type gave a shy grin before gently cupping Jirachi's face and giving it a playful pinch.

"Goka~~"

So soft!

Charcadet's eyes sparkled.

It had experience taking care of baby Pokémon at the daycare, and now, it seemed to have taken on the role of Jirachi's babysitter.

Johan smiled.

"Looks like Charcadet has a knack for being a nanny."

Even Steven, Flannery, and Roxanne couldn't help but admire how well the Pokémon all got along.

After breakfast, Johan decided to check what Gengar and the others had been up to during the night.

"Rotom, show me the footage."

"Right away, Rotto!"

The video played on Rotom Dex's screen.

It showed Gengar leading the team—Dragonair keeping watch, Tinkaton knocking out wild Pokémon, Kubfu guiding the battles, and Charcadet handling negotiations.

Of course, if negotiations failed… things got heated.

Johan sighed in relief.

At least they weren't bullying weaker Pokémon.

Their targets were mostly aggressive wild Pokémon like Arbok, Seviper, Golbat, and Mightyena.

"The best hunters… appear as prey."

Suddenly, something caught Johan's eye in the video.

"Wait. Stop."

He pointed to a white figure in the corner of the footage.

"Is that… Absol?"

The Disaster Pokémon?

What was it doing here?

Could it be that trouble was still brewing?

"… No way," Johan shook his head. "There's no way Absol is following us because it thinks I'll corrupt Jirachi."

I'm pure-hearted, after all! I've been chosen by the Rainbow Wing!

… Right?

Battle Frontier

That afternoon, they finally arrived at the Battle Frontier.

Jirachi, now dressed in a cute purple gown crafted by Roxanne, floated happily around, exploring the area.

The outfit was meant to disguise Jirachi's identity, though Johan was skeptical about its effectiveness.

However, Steven, Flannery, and Roxanne all insisted it was a perfect disguise.

"If we didn't know it was Jirachi, we'd never guess!" Roxanne said confidently.

Johan sighed.

The "perfect disguise" logic of this world is beyond me.

Still, it seemed to work. Passersby glanced curiously at Jirachi but didn't recognize it as the legendary Wish Pokémon.

"Teacher's influence is spreading across Hoenn," Flannery muttered, half-joking.

"Ka-kaah~~!"

Gengar stood proudly at the entrance to the Battle Frontier, hands on his hips, a mischievous grin on his face.

Battle Frontier, get ready… the Phantom King is here!

Johan smirked.

"This should keep them busy for a while."

After all…

There's no better way to burn off Gengar's energy than battle after battle.

And if they earned some Battle Points along the way?

Well, that was just a bonus.

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Powerstones?

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