Friday, clear skies.
Tomorrow would be the battle round of the Top 16 in the Instructor Assessment, and while the academy teachers showed no particular reaction, some students were barely able to contain their excitement.
Johan, however, felt indifferent.
After work, he hurried over to the Kanaz Police Department.
There were still over forty frenzied Pokémon waiting to be calmed. Even if it weren't for the money, he felt a duty to help these innocent wild Pokémon.
Arriving at the station entrance by taxi…
"Ka-kah~~"
Haunter raised a hand to shield its eyes from the sunlight—the setting sun could be quite blinding.
Especially in Kanaz City, located on the western edge of Hoenn, where the seaside sunsets were particularly dazzling.
Johan was even simpler about it. He grabbed Haunter and positioned it at his side, instantly blocking the sunlight and adding a cool shade.
Haunter: "?"
But as soon as he stepped into the Kanaz Police Department, Johan was startled by what he saw.
Officer Jenny, Officer Jenny, Officer Jenny… more Officer Jennys.
They were all in identical uniforms, with identical faces and builds, and Johan couldn't immediately identify the one he knew.
"Mr. Johan, you're here."
At this, one of the Officer Jennys approached him with a smile and said:
"Let me introduce you—this is my cousin from Mauville City, and this is my younger cousin from Johto… and this is one from Kanto…"
Johan's expression grew serious.
"Is the situation that severe?"
Officer Jenny from Mauville and Verdanturf were one thing, but even Jennys from Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh were here?
Could it be that the wild Pokémon rampages were occurring in other regions as well?
If that were the case, shouldn't Lance have come to see him?
Officer Jenny blinked in surprise, then realized Johan's misunderstanding and quickly clarified:
"No, no, Mr. Johan, you've misunderstood. The Petalburg Woods incident is already under investigation, and we're on the trail. We might even catch those responsible this time!"
"As for the Jennys here today, they came to learn about your 'Beat Up Strategy.'"
"Beat Up Strategy?"
Then, after Officer Jenny's explanation, Johan finally understood.
Everyone knew that the Jennys' signature Pokémon were Growlithe and Arcanine, just as the Joys' signature Pokémon were Chansey.
So, after witnessing the "Beat Up Strategy" two days ago and hearing Johan's team-building ideas, Officer Jenny had realized something.
This strategy might be perfect for the Jenny family!
Using "Beat Up" to trigger "Justified" and enhance Arcanine's combat ability wasn't a new concept, but it had always been underdeveloped.
Most implementations merely used "Beat Up" to boost Arcanine's physical attack without considering aspects like damage taken, type coverage, control, priority moves, etc.
This difference highlighted the contrast between the real Pokémon world and the Pokémon games Johan knew from his past life.
In games, everyone could acquire any Pokémon they wanted and teach it any move they desired.
One could shape Pokémon precisely according to ideal stats and movesets, making attributes like physical attack and HP easily controllable.
But in this world, not everyone could get their ideal Pokémon, and finding a perfectly matched Pokémon was incredibly challenging.
Only a few Pokémon possessed the "Justified" ability—Arcanine, Absol, and Gallade—and none of them were easy to obtain.
Not to mention the legendary trio of Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Keldeo.
On top of that, differences in training methods resulted in different growth outcomes.
For example, Johan certainly had plans for training Haunter, Vulpix, and Tinkatink.
But what did he end up with?
Essentially, a "Wild Bunch" x3.
Additionally, training Pokémon came with a high "trial and error" cost.
The resources and effort required to train a single Pokémon went beyond simple numbers.
That's why trainers in this world don't avoid developing new strategies—they simply don't have the time and resources to experiment with intricate battle tactics and bring wild ideas to life.
Individual Pokémon tactics are one thing.
For example, there are strategies like "Perish Song," "Substitute + Toxic," and "Poison Heal."
But the more comprehensive and cohesive a tactic needs to be…
The harder it is to develop.
Even powerful trainers like Lance, Lorelei, Steven, or Cynthia mostly rely on sheer Pokémon strength.
This is also why advanced trainers often build secondary or even tertiary teams.
Thus…
When Officer Jenny learned about a complete "Beat Up Strategy" or "Beat Up Team" from Johan, she immediately reported it to the upper ranks of the Jenny family.
Which is why…
So many Jennys had gathered at the Kanaz Police Department today.
They had come… to learn!
After hearing Officer Jenny's explanation, Johan was about to respond when all the other Jennys spoke in unison:
"Mr. Johan, please teach us!"
Their voices… were deafening.
"I…"
Johan wanted to say…
Tactics aren't something you can learn in one session. They require practice, repeated attempts, and adaptation to various opponents and scenarios.
This wasn't something you could master in a day or two.
"If possible," said the Kanaz City Officer Jenny, "we'd like to invite you, Mr. Johan, to be a special instructor at 'Jenny Police Academy' to teach the 'Beat Up Strategy'!"
Special Instructor?
It probably came with compensation, right? "Sure, we could learn together," Johan quickly replied, waving his hand. "But this is so sudden. I don't even have a Pokémon with 'Justified'…"
"Owoo—"
The Arcanine that Johan had commanded a few days ago trotted over with its tongue out, its eyes scanning for Vulpix. Not seeing it, its wagging tail drooped.
"But one Arcanine won't be enough…"
Officer Jenny brought out a tray with several Poké Balls on it.
"It's true that time is short, but based on the Pokémon you mentioned, we've managed to prepare a few."
Johan: "…"
They were well-prepared, that's for sure.
"How about I calm the frenzied Pokémon first? I could use some time to prepare," Johan suggested.
"Of course."
Johan then summoned Vulpix and Tinkatink to join Haunter, starting with the already-awake wild Pokémon to calm them down.
Those severely injured, like Shiftry, hadn't yet recovered.
After he left, a few of the Officer Jennys couldn't help but comment.
"Who knew Instructor Johan would be so young, and so handsome…"
"And he's so gentle too, nothing like the strict instructors at school. I think… I'd be fine with this!"
"I'm starting to envy my cousin, getting to work alongside Instructor Johan."
The Kanaz City Officer Jenny huffed.
They haven't even seen Johan and Steven together—that's when the real struggle begins.
In the indoor battle arena at the Kanaz Police Department…
"The simplest scenario is this: Whimsicott uses 'Beat Up,' Indeedee goes with 'Follow Me,' Eiscue sets up 'Aurora Veil' with 'Snow Warning' to protect the core—Arcanine."
Standing before Johan were Arcanine, Whimsicott, and Eiscue.
"After that, Whimsicott can use 'Tailwind' for speed, counter Trick Room or Sleep teams with moves like 'Taunt' or 'Encore,' or even set up Trick Room itself if needed."
"To make Arcanine effective in sweeping, it needs a diverse movepool."
Explaining tactics, even with the Pokémon present, was somewhat dull.
Yet, the Jennys were fully engaged, taking notes and listening intently.
"If possible, you could include two 'Justified' Pokémon, like two Arcanine or one with stronger offensive but lower endurance, like Lucario…"
"Whimsicott could also be replaced with Dragapult for higher speed…"
"Of course, this is for competitive battles. In the wild, things are less complicated."
Nearby.
Haunter, Vulpix, and Tinkatink sat on a bench.
"Chu?" (What's going on?)
Tinkatink found it fascinating.
"Ka-kah~~" (Making money.)
"Oowu~~" (Teaching.)
Haunter and Vulpix spoke simultaneously, then glanced at each other.
This only made Tinkatink more confused.
Meanwhile, Johan was wrapping up the basic lecture.
"The advanced version of this strategy would include Cobalion, Regieleki, Dragapult, Indeedee, Calyrex, Tornadus…"
Several of the Jennys now had question marks floating over their heads.
Except for Dragapult and Indeedee, what were the rest of these Pokémon?
"Ahem."
Johan realized he might have said too much.
He'd ended up describing one of his past team lineups.
"Uh, the last part is just extra info. The core is just that simple. Since we haven't had a battle, we'll add more on a case-by-case basis."
"Got it. Next time, we'll come more prepared and use battles for demonstration."
Kanaz City Officer Jenny noted this down.
Johan: "???"
Did I say that?
No, I didn't… right?
Wait, there's a next time?
"Anyway, I have things to do, so I'll be going."
Scooping up Vulpix and Tinkatink, with Haunter floating alongside, Johan made a quick exit.
He couldn't shake the feeling…
That if he stayed any longer, the Jennys might not hold back…
He still had to
conduct a counseling session for Giovanni's Nidoqueen later.
'I'm busy enough as it is.'
After Johan left…
Kanaz City Officer Jenny looked at her fellow Jennys.
"Did everyone get it?"
They exchanged glances, nodding and then shaking their heads.
Half-understood.
Seeing this, Kanaz City Officer Jenny breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, they were all on the same page.
"Alright, let's consolidate our notes."
Then, they compiled their notes and prepared a report to submit to the upper ranks.
They could already anticipate that when the higher-ups saw this tactical report, they would take it very seriously.
And as for Johan's role as an instructor, his compensation would surely rise in line with this report.
"It's just a shame for the Jennys in Unova, Kalos, and Alola…"
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates