Johan turned to see a burly teenager, about 17 or 18 years old, clad in armor with a horned knight's helmet. The young man's gaze was burning with excitement—not at Johan but at the Pokémon beside him.
A battle!
Johan chuckled lightly. "Sorry, I didn't register for the festival battles."
"That's fine, sir," the boy replied eagerly.
Just then, a castle guard stepped forward from the crowd and said, "Sir, we can register you on the spot."
As he spoke, the guard produced a device designed to log participants into the festival's database.
He quickly added, "Queen Eileen has announced that the next festival will take place entirely in the arena. This is the last open-format festival battle, sir—you won't want to miss it!"
The surrounding onlookers chimed in:
"Don't be shy, handsome!"
"Just battle—it'll be fun!"
"Yeah, don't think too much. Let's see some action!"
"Ka-kah~~"
Gengar turned to Johan with a wicked grin, nodding eagerly. It had been itching for a proper fight.
Johan glanced at the three Pokémon at his side.
Well, their stares gave away nothing but agreement.
With a helpless smile, Johan opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the guard again.
"The champion will not only receive the title of 'Aura Guardian' but also a variety of prizes. Even non-champions will be rewarded handsomely!"
Hearing this, Johan handed over his ID card, his tone calm:
"It's not about the prizes. It's about enjoying the battle."
"Haha—looks like you're a passionate battler, sir!"
The guard quickly registered Johan's information, and the crowd stepped back, clearing a space for the battle.
The horned knight youth couldn't contain his excitement. He pulled out a Pokéball and released his Pokémon.
A Tauros appeared in a flash of red light, stomping on the ground aggressively.
Seeing the Tauros, Johan nodded knowingly.
As a Normal-type Pokémon, Tauros was immune to Ghost-type moves. If Gengar faced it, many of its moves would be rendered ineffective.
While Gengar was immune to Normal-type moves, Tauros had likely been trained to learn non-Normal moves, given the sheer variety of techniques Normal-types could master.
Looking at Johan's team—Gengar, a delicate-looking Vulpix, the tiny Tinkatuff, and the small, seemingly harmless Dratini—the Tauros trainer had clearly picked his opponent carefully.
'So he's not just some hot-blooded kid. He's got a strategy.' Johan thought, amused.
No wonder he's wearing a bull-themed helmet.
Still, Johan decided to send out Gengar.
"Gengar, it's your stage."
Wearing its vibrant red armor, Gengar licked its lips before leaping into the cleared space.
"Ka-kah!"
"Would you like to dance too?"
It was a perfect imitation of Johan's earlier line, exuding confidence.
Johan paused. Wait a minute.
Red armor, swaggering lines... Isn't this just Gengar channeling Madara Uchiha?!
"Tauros, Zen Headbutt!" the bull-headed teen shouted, thrilled by his early advantage.
As expected, Tauros was armed with the Psychic-type move Zen Headbutt.
Its eyes glowed red as Psychic energy surrounded its head. With a flick of its three tails, Tauros charged at Gengar like a battering ram.
"Smog," Johan said calmly.
With a chuckle, Gengar spat out a cloud of dense, purple fog.
The poisonous mist obscured Gengar from sight, and as Tauros inhaled it, a faint purple hue spread across its body—it was poisoned.
"Tauros, charge through!"
The boy's excitement was palpable as he ordered Tauros forward.
But when Tauros burst through the fog, Gengar was nowhere to be seen.
"Venoshock."
BOOM!
A purple explosion erupted behind Tauros, blasting it off its hooves.
The concentrated venom spread through Tauros instantly, leaving it unable to fight.
The street fell silent.
Even the castle guard froze, needing a moment before he announced, "Tauros is unable to battle!"
The crowd murmured in disbelief.
"That's it?!"
"It's already over?"
"Wasn't he super eager to fight just a second ago?"
"I'll go next!"
From the crowd stepped a skinny teenager, determined to challenge Johan.
The defeated trainer recalled his Tauros and left dejectedly.
Without giving Johan or Gengar time to rest, the new challenger released his Pokémon.
"Go, Hippowdon!"
A rush of sand filled the battlefield as the Hippowdon's Sand Stream ability activated.
However, before the sandstorm could fully form, Gengar extended shadowy green tendrils from its hands—Giga Drain!
The emerald glow engulfed Hippowdon, sapping its energy in an instant.
THUD!
Hippowdon collapsed, unconscious.
The crowd gasped audibly.
"One-hit KO!"
"What kind of monster is that Gengar?!"
Meanwhile, Gengar floated back to Johan, patting its armored stomach before letting out a satisfied belch.
"Hic~"
"Ka-kah!"
"A little sand won't even touch me!"
Johan glanced at Gengar with a raised eyebrow.
How do you even memorize Madara's lines so fast?
But the victories continued. If the festival participants were all this... average, Gengar might just go undefeated.
Standing amidst the crowd, Johan called out with a faint smile:
"Next."
"Have you heard? There's a monster on the next street—he's already got ten consecutive wins!"
"Ten? I heard twenty! Let's check it out!"
"Thirty wins?! Let's go right now!"
Elsewhere in the city, Steven, Roxanne, and Flannery had regrouped.
Overhearing these escalating rumors, the trio exchanged glances.
They hadn't been particularly interested in checking it out at first.
Steven, in particular, had other plans. Having learned that the nearby Tree of Beginning contained rare fossils, he was itching to start excavating.
Still, the whispers of "thirty wins" had piqued their curiosity—especially Flannery's.
"Did you hear that? Thirty consecutive wins! Let's go see who's pulling it off. I want a match with them!" she exclaimed, eager to investigate.
Steven and Roxanne exchanged another look before nodding in agreement.
When they reached the packed street, they had to summon Steven's shiny Metagross just to get a better view.
As they rose above the crowd, they heard a voice shout:
"Dratini, Dragon Rush!"
"Driii!"
A blue dragon-shaped aura enveloped Dratini as it charged downward, slamming into its opponent.
BOOM!
The resulting shockwave drew gasps from the crowd.
"Mega Drain is unable to battle! That's win number 39!"
The castle guard's raspy but excited announcement rang out.
The crowd murmured with astonishment.
"Unbelievable! That Dratini's Water Gun and Dragon Rush never miss!"
"That pink little hammer-wielding one? It's a one-hit wonder!"
"Don't forget that Vulpix. Everything it touches turns to ice!"
From atop Metagross, Roxanne squinted. "That... looks like Professor Johan."
Steven also recognized him and blinked in surprise.
Flannery crossed her arms. "I've been wanting to fight Professor Johan head-on! Why wouldn't I?!"
Before she could call out to him, another voice rang out from below:
"I'll be next!"
Down in the street, Johan sighed, glancing at his Pokémon.
"Had enough yet?" he asked.
Vulpix and Dratini nodded—they had each fought seven or eight matches and were thoroughly satisfied.
Gengar, however, was still brimming with energy, while Tinkatuff, chewing on a berry, looked just as eager.
Another challenger—a bearded man with a backpack—stepped forward.
Johan felt exasperated. They're too enthusiastic!
But he couldn't deny the experience was paying off. The Pokémon's mastery of their moves was visibly improving.
"Alright, Tinkatuff—use Stone Edge. Let's end the day on a high note."
Tinkatuff's hammer struck the ground with force, summoning jagged stones that pierced through the Coalossal before it could react.
The crowd roared.
Johan smiled faintly.
"Thanks for the battles, everyone. That's all for today."
As the crowd dispersed, Gengar spotted a muscular man in the corner holding a stack of steamed buns.
"Ka-kah?"
Another challenger?
"Nope." Johan grabbed Gengar by the collar. "We're leaving."
Dragging the armored ghost away, Johan ignored the disappointed muttering of the muscle-bound stranger.
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates