The sun shone brightly, and the weather was perfect. Johan lounged leisurely on a beach chair.
He sipped on a glass of freshly made Cheri Berry juice, chilled with ice cubes that Vulpix had just crafted.
In one hand, he held his phone, browsing through the notes Gengar had transferred about The Secrets of the Earth.
"Hm... so that's how it works..."
As Johan continued reading, he found that his initial impressions were correct. Beyond detailing the strategies for commanding, battling, and raising Ground-type Pokémon, the guide contained invaluable wisdom.
It was a treasure trove of Giovanni's accumulated experience in Pokémon training.
Of course, it also included insights into destructive moves like Earthquake and High Horsepower.
While not everything could be directly replicated, there was plenty to adapt and learn from.
The only downside?
Giovanni's training methods were extremely costly. Without significant financial resources, it would be nearly impossible to fully implement the guide's techniques.
Still, even a surface-level application would likely elevate an average trainer to an elite level.
As Johan scrolled, his phone suddenly rang.
It was Bea.
Upon answering, her voice came through, tinged with a bit of embarrassment.
"Johan-sensei, have you returned to Hoenn?"
"Yeah, I'm back. I'm in Rustboro right now," Johan replied, puzzled. "Why? What's up?"
"I have a... friend. I guess you could call him a friend. He's arrived in Hoenn—or at least, he should have by now."
Her hesitant tone made Johan even more confused.
"A 'friend,' huh? And what does she mean by 'should have arrived'?"
"Anyway," Bea continued, "he's lost. I was hoping you could help find him."
"Lost?"
Who still gets lost in this day and age? Don't they have GPS?
Wait a second...
Johan suddenly thought of someone. His expression grew strange.
"Your friend wouldn't happen to be Leon, would he?"
"Sensei, you know him?"
Johan sighed.
Know him? Oh, I know him all too well.
The so-called "Strongest Champion," famously known as the King of Ads, Master of Getting Lost, and Champion of Posing...
Even setting aside Johan's prior knowledge, Leon was a household name in the Pokémon world, constantly appearing in commercials and news reports.
"So, Leon is in Hoenn?"
"Yes. He said he's here to visit your former headmaster on behalf of his mentor."
That made sense. The former headmaster of Johan's school was a close friend of Mustard, Leon's mentor.
"But," Bea added, "I don't know exactly where he is now. He said he was over the ocean, and... well... he got lost."
"Over the ocean?"
Johan's eyes narrowed. He turned to gaze at the distant sea, where he had earlier noticed a small black dot aimlessly circling.
"Sensei, do you think you could ask Officer Jenny to help search for him?"
Asking Officer Jenny to find a Champion?
Wait, Leon wasn't technically a Champion yet.
"That won't be necessary," Johan replied. "I think I've already found him."
"Huh?"
"Let me confirm. I'll call you back."
After hanging up, Johan called out to Gengar, who was playing in the water.
"Ka-kah?"
Johan pointed toward the horizon. "Is that a person over there?"
Gengar shaded its eyes with a hand, squinting into the distance.
While it didn't spot anything, it took Johan's word for it and began floating toward the indicated direction.
Before long...
"Ka-kah!!"
Gengar zipped back like a mischievous gremlin, cackling wildly. Its tongue lolled out, and it darted across the water like a speeding jet ski.
Chasing after it was an orange Charizard, its wings flapping furiously but unable to close the distance.
Riding on Charizard's back was a young man with purple hair, a flowing cape, and stubble on both cheeks.
It was unmistakably Leon!
Though Leon looked like his usual self, both he and Charizard were clearly in distress.
"Ka-kah!"
Gengar reached Johan and handed him a peculiar-looking wristband.
Johan sighed, recognizing it instantly.
Of course, it's the Dynamax Band.
The device allowed Pokémon to undergo Dynamax transformations—essentially growing giant-sized during battles.
No wonder Leon and Charizard were in such a rush.
"Gengar..." Johan groaned, rubbing his temples. "You really do know how to find the good stuff."
When Charizard landed on the beach, kicking up sand, Leon hopped off its back.
As he took a deep breath of relief, Johan held out the Dynamax Band.
"Here. I assume this belongs to you."
Leon blinked before hurriedly accepting the band.
"Thanks, Gengar," he said with a sheepish smile.
"Ka-kah~"
Gengar waved nonchalantly and explained that Leon had intentionally handed it over as a breadcrumb trail.
Johan raised an eyebrow.
He really trusted Gengar with something so important?
"I didn't expect it to belong to your Gengar," Leon said, his tone warm.
Johan wasn't surprised that Leon recognized him.
"Leon, what brings you to Hoenn?"
"Well, I got a little lost," Leon admitted, scratching his head.
A little?
Leon revealed that he had left Johto three days ago.
Instead of flying straight to Hoenn, he had somehow spent two days circling aimlessly over the ocean.
"Three days?!"
Johan's jaw nearly dropped.
Johto wasn't that far from Hoenn. With Charizard's speed, the trip should've taken a few hours at most.
But Leon had managed to get lost for three whole days—and he'd flown west instead of east, landing on the farthest western point of Hoenn.
Classic Leon, Johan thought. The King of Getting Lost.
"Ha ha, I'm not great with navigation," Leon admitted with a laugh, brushing it off as normal.
"Charizard can't navigate either?" Johan asked skeptically.
"Roar!"
Charizard snorted, puffing smoke from its nostrils, its expression betraying a mix of pride and embarrassment.
"When it was younger, it could navigate just fine," Leon explained. "But now... well, not anymore."
Johan facepalmed.
So navigation skills are contagious?
He glanced at his own Pokémon.
My team hasn't picked up anything weird from me, have they?
"Hungry?" Johan asked.
At the mention of food, Leon and Charizard perked up immediately.
"Very! And Charizard says this is the best Pokéblock it's ever had!" Leon declared as they devoured several portions.
Johan watched them eat, silently noting the various sponsorship logos on Leon's cape.
Even the future Champion has to hustle for ad money, huh?
"Want me to take you to the academy?" Johan offered once Leon had finished eating.
"Really? Thanks, Johan-sensei!" Leon replied, his gratitude genuine.
Johan nodded but added, "But first, why don't we battle?"
Leon's eyes lit up at the challenge, his trademark enthusiasm kicking in.
"Of course!"
Leon struck a dramatic pose, pointing toward the sky with his cape billowing behind him.
"I challenge you, Johan-sensei!"
As the self-proclaimed strongest trainer in Galar, Leon's goal was to challenge trainers worldwide, learning from each battle to strengthen Galar as a region.
Johan, however, wasn't keen on the idea of fighting Leon directly.
His gaze shifted subtly to the Pokémon nearby.
Mew, who was perched invisibly on his shoulder, suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Mew?"
It blinked innocently, but Johan's smirk told it everything it needed to know.
Leon, you might've bitten off more than you can chew today.
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Powerstones?
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