Pokemon: Psychic Master

In the waters of the Hoenn region, a submarine with Team Aqua's emblem cut through the ocean depths. In the command room, Dock stood silently with his hands behind his back, staring at the screen in front of him.

On the screen, a shadowy figure appeared — Archie, the leader of Team Aqua.

"You failed?" Archie's rough voice echoed from the monitor.

Dock bowed his head slightly, silently acknowledging the failure.

"Who were they?"

Dock's voice rumbled through the cabin. "One of them was a man named Johan. The other… was the heir to Devon Corporation, Steven Stone."

At the mention of Devon Corporation, Archie's expression darkened.

Steven Stone — that name carried weight. To provoke Devon was to provoke a company that even the Hoenn League would tread carefully around.

"And Johan?" Archie frowned. "Investigate him."

Dock responded slowly, "We've only been able to gather surface-level information. He's a widely recognized trainer with several recorded battles online. But I suspect there's much more to him. He's hiding something."

Archie's expression remained cold as he tapped his fingers on the desk. "What makes you think that?"

Dock clenched his fists. "His battle tactics… They were beyond ordinary. And his Pokémon — every one of them — displayed unusual strength and precision in battle. These are not the capabilities of someone who's simply 'famous online.'"

"And?"

Dock's eyes narrowed. "There's also a rumor that he once defeated former champion Mustard in a battle. And Mustard himself confirmed it."

Archie's hand froze. "Mustard? That Mustard? The undefeated champion of the Galar region for eighteen years?"

"Yes. And that's not all." Dock took a deep breath. "It's said that Johan has tamed multiple legendary and mythical Pokémon. He's known as a 'legendary beast tamer.'"

Archie's frown deepened. He muttered to himself, "Could he be after Jirachi?"

"It's possible," Dock said cautiously. "But… Jirachi only awakens for seven days every thousand years. Even if he manages to capture it, what use would it be?"

Archie's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table as he fell into deep thought. After a long pause, he finally spoke.

"Did you investigate him through underground channels?"

Dock nodded. "Yes. We attempted to gather more information on Johan through Rocket's Darknet."

"And?"

Dock's voice lowered. "Everyone we sent to investigate him… vanished."

Archie's face twisted in confusion. "Vanished? Where did you send them?"

"The Rocket Darknet. The most extensive underground information network."

Archie's brow furrowed.

"And none of them returned?"

"No. They all disappeared."

——

At the Rocket Base in Viridian City, Giovanni sat at his desk, gently stroking Persian. His expression was calm as usual, but a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes as he listened to Matori's report.

"Boss, someone from Hoenn has been digging into Johan's information through our Darknet."

Giovanni's gaze sharpened.

"Interesting. Who was it?"

"We're not sure yet," Matori replied, "but we've already sent everyone involved in the investigation… to the mines."

"Good." Giovanni's lips curled into a faint smile. "Any other moves?"

Matori's eyes glinted behind her glasses as she said, "We're currently tracing the source. Once we confirm who's behind this… they'll all be sent to the mines as well."

"Perfect." Giovanni's smile grew wider. "Johan is one of our own. He's our trusted advisor. If anyone dares to touch him…"

Matori completed the sentence with a sharp nod. "Team Rocket will make sure they pay the price."

Giovanni leaned back in his chair, the light reflecting off his polished desk and the gemstones in his ring.

"To protect Johan, Team Rocket will stop at nothing."

——

Meanwhile, in Hoenn, Johan and his companions arrived at the Battle Frontier.

Seven facilities stood tall across the island:

The Battle Tower.

The Battle Factory.

The Battle Arena.

The Battle Dome.

The Battle Pike.

The Battle Palace.

And the Battle Pyramid.

Each facility had its own unique battle rules and offered a different challenge to trainers who sought to test their skills.

Among them, the Battle Tower was the most famous and sought-after. Trainers had to face seven consecutive full battles — each a six-on-six match with no recovery items allowed between battles. It was a grueling endurance test that many failed.

However, Johan wasn't an ordinary challenger.

"Welcome!"

A familiar figure approached them as they stepped into the Battle Frontier. It was Scott, the founder of the Battle Frontier. He was wearing his usual laid-back tropical shirt and sunglasses, followed by a camera crew.

"Johan, you've finally arrived!" Scott greeted enthusiastically.

Roxanne tilted her head curiously. "What's with the camera crew?"

Scott chuckled. "I'm planning to live-stream Johan's challenge. It'll be a great way to boost the Battle Frontier's popularity!"

"Wait…" Flannery's eyes narrowed. "So you're just trying to use him to boost your ratings?"

Scott waved his hands dismissively. "Of course not! I've even prepared an appearance fee for him!"

Johan's phone buzzed. He glanced at the notification and saw a message from his bank.

Account credited: 1,000,000 Pokédollars. Current balance: 5,096,713 Pokédollars.

Flannery leaned over his shoulder and gasped. "One million?!"

Scott beamed. "That's the appearance fee for each facility. If Johan challenges all seven, he'll earn a total of seven million Pokédollars!"

Johan smirked.

"Deal."

Scott grinned from ear to ear. "Great! Let's get started!"

——

Online, the Battle Frontier's live stream quickly gained traction.

"Wait, Johan's at the Battle Frontier?"

"Is he challenging the Battle Tower?"

"Johan's battles are always intense! I'm tuning in!"

As the audience flooded in, Johan's first match began at the Battle Tower.

——

"Gengar! Shadow Ball!"

The ghostly Pokémon smirked wickedly, launching a dark sphere of energy that sent its opponent flying.

The audience in the live stream chat erupted.

"He's still using Gengar?"

"One-shot! Just like in his previous battles!"

"Wait… is Gengar really going to do it?"

The trainers at the Battle Tower were stunned.

After winning his first battle, Johan continued to rely on Gengar, allowing it to remain on the field.

One battle.

Two battles.

Three battles.

"Johan's Gengar is still going strong?!"

By the end of his sixth match, Gengar had defeated twelve Pokémon in a row.

The chat exploded.

"Gengar's on fire!"

"Can he go all the way?"

"Let's see him take down forty-two Pokémon in a row!"

At the start of the seventh match, Johan gave a confident smirk.

"Gengar, Dream Eater."

As Gengar grinned menacingly, the viewers couldn't take their eyes off the screen.

——

"Gengar's unstoppable!"

"Wait… is he really aiming for a full sweep of forty-two Pokémon?!"

The world was watching.

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Powerstones?

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