Pokemon: Spiritual Master

"Boss, I need a custom set of protective gear."

At the Wing Festival Tournament in Fortree City, Johan and Cynthia arrived at a protective gear shop with Dragonite.

"Coming, coming."

A middle-aged man stepped out from his temporary store.

"Whoa—"

Upon seeing Dragonite beside Johan, the man couldn't help but exclaim.

"What a massive one."

Johan's Dragonite stood at least a head taller than a normal one, and its body was at least twice as broad. Without a doubt, it was a true giant.

The shop owner's remark pleased Dragonite immensely. It flexed its chubby arms, showing off its pudgy muscles.

"Draaa! (ง •̀_•́)ง"

Power!

Cynthia, grinning, patted Dragonite's belly, which made a distinct "duang duang" sound.

She knew firsthand how comfortable that belly was.

"But does such a sturdy Dragonite even need protective gear?" The shop owner voiced his doubt.

Among all rideable Flying-type Pokémon, Dragonite undoubtedly provided one of the best riding experiences.

Its broad back, stable sitting area, easily grippable arms and neck, and its superb control over air currents made it an ideal mount.

On the other hand, Pokémon like Pidgeot, Fearow, and Dragonair were the ones that really needed protective gear.

"Just tell me—can it be equipped or not?" Johan cut to the chase.

Ignorant! Foolish!

This was a televised event! What if kids watched and tried to copy?

Not everyone was a Super Rookie!

As a mentor, he had to set a good example.

Johan had already prepared his solid reasoning in advance.

"Of course, it can!"

Faced with Johan's firm stance, the shop owner immediately puffed up his chest in confidence.

He then took out a set of professional tools and equipment.

"This Dragonite is huge. I'd recommend this universal gear. It's easy to detach, adjustable in size, and simple to install…"

As he introduced it, he displayed a few images.

Suddenly, a thought popped into Johan's mind.

Could this gear be installed on Rayquaza?

Or maybe… Giratina?

But as soon as that dangerous thought arose, he immediately crushed it.

"Cha~"

Tinkaton suddenly emerged from its Poké Ball, staring intently as the shop owner hammered away, installing a complete and stylish set of protective gear onto Dragonite's back.

As it watched, a look of realization flashed across its face.

"Draaa?"

After the installation, Dragonite spun around twice in front of Johan and Cynthia.

Does it look cool?

Without hesitation, Johan responded, "Cool!"

Cynthia also smiled knowingly and nodded.

Hearing the affirmation, Dragonite beamed with satisfaction. As it walked down the street, it knew it was the most stylish one around.

Especially with its size and status as a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, it drew nearly every gaze its way.

Dragonite instantly became even more confident, striding with a majestic air.

"Cha!!"

Suddenly—

Tinkaton, who had been dragging its feet in a daze at the back, snapped out of its trance with a jolt.

It immediately ran up to Johan, tugged on his sleeve, and pointed at itself, then at Dragonite's protective gear.

"Cha~ Cha~!"

"You want… to modify this gear?"

Johan quickly understood.

But… this gear wasn't cheap—it cost over ten thousand Pokédollars!

"Cha cha!"

Yet, Tinkaton nodded furiously, looking absolutely certain.

Since it was so insistent and Dragonite had no objections, Johan couldn't bear to dampen the little one's enthusiasm.

After all—

Tinkaton had been contemplating how to build armor for Charcadet for ages but hadn't made a move yet. That meant it was no longer the reckless little "battle maniac" it used to be.

Thus, they moved to a secluded grove.

Tinkaton swiftly removed Dragonite's protective gear in just a few moves.

Judging by its skilled hands, it had completely "digested" the structure of the gear.

"Cha!"

But instead of getting to work right away, Tinkaton called out toward Johan's waist.

Bzzt—

Hearing the call, Charcadet immediately ran out.

"Goka!"

Then—

Johan, Cynthia, and Dragonite all sat down in a row, hugging their knees, watching the two Pokémon work.

Tinkaton effortlessly disassembled the protective gear, then, after examining it closely, took a piece and began heating it over Charcadet's flaming hands.

A hammer-wielding blacksmith and a living forge—was this the ultimate forging duo?

It looked like Tinkaton had truly found the perfect way to enhance itself, unlocking its final "blacksmith form."

For the first time, Tinkaton was seriously focused on forging.

"It actually looks very reliable," Cynthia murmured, hugging her knees.

She had seen this little blacksmith hatch from an egg, and now it was already crafting armor—it was nostalgic.

With rhythmic hammering and bursts of sparks flying, the protective gear slowly transformed.

"Cha~"

Tinkaton signaled to Dragonite.

"Draaa~"

Dragonite opened its mouth slightly and exhaled a gentle stream of water.

Ssss—

Steam rose as the gear underwent its final tempering.

Then, Tinkaton carefully reassembled the parts.

Compared to the original, the newly reforged gear looked much more streamlined.

More importantly—

In a demonstration, Tinkaton snapped it onto Dragonite's back in just one click, the entire process taking less than a second.

With its modifications, the gear was now easier to install and remove, more compact for travel, and interfered with Dragonite's flight even less—while also improving Johan's riding experience.

Johan couldn't help but ruffle Tinkaton's head while sighing emotionally.

"You've grown up."

A father's pride.

Maybe, one day, Tinkaton really would become the world's top Pokémon gear specialist—like the Pokémon Adventures character Riley, who built equipment for Pokémon.

If Riley could forge battle armor for Kubfu and Urshifu, calling it "Armor Warrior," maybe Tinkaton could do the same.

Would that mean… the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield could also be reforged?

With its new gear, Dragonite felt even more like the king of the skies.

Woohoo, time to fly!

—

At the central plaza.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Gengar dashed over, holding bags of snacks and cakes, handing them to Johan.

Seeing Gengar return with treats, Johan smiled and took them. "Good work."

"Ka-kaah~ (๑´ڡ`๑)"

Johan, Cynthia, Gengar, and the rest of the Pokémon sat neatly on the edge of a flower bed, all simultaneously munching on cake.

The aerial race was about to start. Contestants gathered at the central square one after another.

The vast blue sky was clear, a gentle breeze rustling through the treetops.

One by one, trainers and their Pokémon made final preparations for takeoff.

There were the usual competitors—Pidgeot, Fearow, Butterfree, Noctowl, Braviary…

Rarer ones included Skarmory, Tropius, and Noivern.

And then, there were the unexpected ones—like Jumpluff and Drifloon, currently warming up.

But the real standouts included:

A Hydreigon from Unova,

Lance and Clair's Dragonite,

Wallace's Pelipper,

And Winona's "dragon traitor"… Altaria.

All of them were clear top contenders.

Some trainers mounted their Pokémon, while others readied hot air balloons.

"What's Flint doing?" Cynthia asked, glancing at the training field.

Johan's expression turned weird.

"He's… warming up."

He hadn't expected Flint to actually compete.

But the real question was—he didn't own a Flying-type Pokémon.

Johan was curious to see what he'd pull off.

As Fortree City's mayor finished his speech and Winona explained the track rules, the competitors lined up for takeoff.

The race had three phases:

Takeoff & Forest Section – Navigating dense trees and wild Pokémon. Obstacle Section – Avoiding falling rocks and stone pillars, the best place to gain an advantage. Final Sprint – A long, open stretch—but tricky air currents would make it difficult.

"Let's go."

Johan turned to Cynthia.

"Mm."

She nodded, summoning Garchomp.

On the launch platform, Johan climbed onto Dragonite, gripping the gear tightly.

"Dragonite, safety first, race second."

"Draaa! (^^)"

Finally, time to fly free!

Below, Gengar led the cheer squad, pumping Dragonite up even more.

Johan wiped his forehead.

Flying races counted as competitions, right?

Would Dragonite's "lucky streak" trigger?

"Johan, how about a race?"

Lance, with his cape billowing, grinned confidently.

Johan twitched his mouth but said nothing.

As the whistle blew, contestants took off—

And Flint stole the spotlight.

"Magmortar, FLAMETHROWER!"

Magmortar blasted fire straight downward—

Launching Flint like a rocket.

"AHHHH, HOT HOT HOT!!"

"REF! IS THIS EVEN ALLOWED?!"

"DAMN, THIS GUY—"

Johan wiped his face.

Magmortar-powered jet flight?

Flint… was truly a genius.

Let's just hope he makes it out of Fortree City alive.

----------

New pokemon fic, coming soon. No I won't drop this one. Here's the title and synopsis:

Lord of the Manor in Pokemon

In the year 447 of the Kingdom's calendar, 3,000 years before the founding of the Pokémon League…

At this time, the Dragon Stone had yet to split into Zekrom and Reshiram, AZ was still researching the Ultimate Weapon, the Darkest Day had not yet descended upon Galar, and Pokémon were known as "beasts," irreconcilable with humans…

In this era, a human equipped with an MC system arrived in the ancient Pokémon world.

Survival, hunting, gathering, farming, building a territory, constructing a manor, taming Pokémon…

Thus, a fortified manor rose overnight, where wild Pokémon of all kinds lived alongside humans.

Three years later, when the army of the ancient Unova Kingdom heard the news and arrived, they were utterly dumbfounded as they gazed at a human commanding terrifying beasts.

"?"

Powerstones?