Pokemon: Spiritual Master

January 8th, early morning, cloudy weather.

"Mmm…"

After spending the night at Professor Rowan's research lab, Johan rubbed his temples and sat up in bed.

Instinctively, he glanced at the Pokémon egg beside Charcadet and let out a small sigh of relief.

Last night, he had a strange dream where he caught a Larvitar, a [Little Snorlax], and a Gible.

Led by Gengar, all three had their mouths wide open, calling out to him: "Hungry! Hungry!"

That scene…

It had terrified him into a cold sweat.

Fortunately, waking up proved it was just a dream.

"Oowoo~~"

Still half-asleep, Ice Ninetales pawed at the air in dissatisfaction. Johan quickly offered his arm.

Ice Ninetales clung to it, nuzzled it, took a few sniffs, and, satisfied, drifted back into sleep.

Despite being an Ice-type Pokémon, it still insisted on lazing in bed during winter…

Johan lay back down, staring at the ceiling, where Gengar was also staring back at him.

Human and Pokémon locked eyes for a few seconds.

"Ka-kaah~(ˊ〇ˋ*)"

Gengar stretched out with a big yawn.

There was an urban legend…

Gengar's Pokédex weight was 40.5 kg, while Clefable's was 40 kg. Meanwhile, Haunter weighed only 0.1 kg. And if you added in a meal or two…

Johan shook his head.

"Gengar, take Dragonite and the others out for some air."

Come to think of it, Dragonite had been unusually energetic ever since evolving.

More precisely, after obtaining the fragment of the Verdant Orb, its energy had been through the roof—more than even Charcadet, who had Entei's blessing, or Kubfu, who trained even in its sleep.

If it didn't fly dozens of laps a day, it couldn't sit still.

Sure enough, the moment Johan woke up, Dragonite was already getting restless.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Gengar gave him an "OK" gesture, and the chubby one led the bigger chubby one outside.

Noticing this, Tinkaton suddenly jumped out of bed, grabbed its hammer, and charged out with a battle cry.

"Cha! Cha~!"

A dragon knight couldn't miss a flight session!

The thing was… when Dragonite flew alone, it was fine, but when carrying a passenger—whether a human or Pokémon—it usually didn't end well.

"Wait a second… I feel like I forgot something?"

Having spent the night who-knows-where, Flint dusted off the grass from his clothes and greeted Johan, who was making breakfast in the courtyard.

"Morning, Johan-sensei!"

As he approached—

"Thanks again for everything yesterday, you and Cynthia both."

Johan finally remembered what he had forgotten.

After receiving Professor Rowan's bad news yesterday, he had completely forgotten about Flint.

"Want some?" he asked generously.

"Of course!" Flint nodded eagerly. Then he asked, "What is it?"

"A mixed-grain pancake."

Johan handed him a paper bag. "I made it using Charcadet's flames."

"Huh?"

Flint blinked.

Why did Johan-sensei always come up with these weird foods?

And more importantly… they were always delicious.

Whoever marries Johan-sensei will definitely live a happy life.

Taking a big bite, the crisp texture surprised him. In just a few bites, the pancake was gone.

Then…

He lined up with Gengar, Dragonite, Kubfu, and Garchomp, only to be met with their hostile stares.

"Ahem, Johan-sensei, what brought you to Professor Rowan's lab? Registering for the Lily of the Valley Conference?" Flint quickly changed the subject.

Lily of the Valley Conference…

Johan paused mid-action.

Oh right, he could register for the tournament here.

Originally, Johan had little interest in participating. But after learning that the egg was likely a Larvitar or Gible, he reconsidered.

Maybe it was time to… stir up some trouble—no, gain some high-level battle experience?

"All done."

Cynthia, sitting nearby, daintily licked her fingertips and looked at Johan expectantly.

"At your service!"

To Johan, Cynthia was no longer just a powerful Trainer or an exceptionally beautiful girl. She was also a walking wallet, someone he couldn't afford to offend.

"When are you heading back to Hoenn?" Cynthia asked as she waited.

"What's up?"

Instead of answering, Johan asked in return.

"There's a nice hot spring inn in Sandgem Town," Cynthia replied.

In winter, nothing was more relaxing than a hot spring soak.

She hadn't had a proper break in ages—always busy researching history, writing papers, or studying ancient ruins.

A hot spring?

At this, Gengar immediately raised both hands.

"Ka-kaah!"

Go, go, go! It had been too long since their last hot spring visit!

Tinkaton and Dragonite also voiced their agreement.

Even Ice Ninetales, though not overly fond of hot springs, was willing to tolerate it—so long as Johan was there.

As for Kubfu and Charcadet, they had never been to a hot spring with Johan before, so their eyes gleamed with curiosity.

A hot spring, huh…?

Johan's eyes lit up slightly. He hesitated before asking:

"Is it mixed-gender?"

STARE!

Garchomp's gaze, filled with murderous intent, instantly locked onto him.

Johan's mouth twitched, and he let out an awkward chuckle.

"Uh, just kidding! Don't take it too seriously."

Cynthia simply smiled and said nothing.

Meanwhile, Flint, slow on the uptake, suddenly realized something and widened his eyes in disbelief.

"You two are bathing together?!"

Suddenly—

He felt a tap on his back.

Turning around, he saw Garchomp's friendly smile.

It waved him over.

"Garrr—"

Come on, let's spar.

Gulp.

Flint swallowed hard.

They borrowed a jeep from Professor Rowan and drove toward the hot spring inn Cynthia had mentioned.

According to her, the area was once an active volcano, but after it went dormant, natural geothermal springs remained.

Back when Cynthia was an assistant at Professor Rowan's lab, she frequently visited this inn for relaxation.

For safety reasons, Johan insisted on driving himself.

The key word: safety.

"We should install a Rotom engine in the car. Then I wouldn't even have to drive," he mused.

January 8th, afternoon, light snow.

Snowflakes drifted gently from the sky as they arrived at the hot spring inn, nestled in the mountains about 30 kilometers outside Sandgem Town.

As they entered the wooded area, the temperature dropped noticeably, and the trees were dusted with a thin layer of snow.

But in such an environment, the thought of a hot spring soak became all the more enticing.

The wooden buildings and the cozy atmosphere welcomed them with rising plumes of warm mist.

A hotel attendant immediately recognized Cynthia and led them toward the baths.

"Our inn features natural hot springs rich in minerals. A meal will also be served later, prepared by our in-house chef…"

As the attendant explained, they handed out towels and bathrobes.

Cynthia, smiling, walked toward another hallway.

Clearly, mixed bathing was not a thing here either.

"Let's go, hot spring time!"

"Ka-kaah~!"

From the shadows, Gengar was beyond ready.

Inside the changing room.

Two grown men had no reason to be shy. Johan glanced at his reflection—well-defined chest, clear muscle tone, abs—before clicking his tongue.

"I barely work out, but my belly fat disappeared. Could it be… Aura has a fitness effect?"

He subconsciously glanced at Flint and smirked.

"Skinny dog."

Flint: "???"

The hot spring's bamboo pipes dripped with a rhythmic plop plop, while warm water gently cascaded into the pool.

The air carried a faint scent of sulfur, mixed with the freshness of bamboo and wood.

Since they had reserved a private bath, it was just Johan and Flint.

Naturally, they immediately released their Pokémon.

Johan leaned back against the smooth river stones, watching the scene unfold.

Nothing beat a winter hot spring.

He raised a brow and asked, "Anyone want macarons?"

STARE!

Instantly, eight pairs of eyes locked onto him.

Including one in the corner—Marshadow, clutching a towel in one hand and the railing in the other, hesitantly poking at the water with its foot.

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Powerstones?

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