Flint was one of Volkner's closest friends, specializing in training Fire-type Pokémon. He's also destined to be one of the Elite Four members in the Sinnoh region, with his signature Pokémon being an Infernape.
He's the quintessential "Emotion-Based" Trainer, an example of those classic commands that the original author researched, like "Stand up!" or "Hang in there!" or "Quick, dodge it!"—the kind of emotional coaching that tends to spur Pokémon into action.
It's essentially like Ash's style in Sinnoh.
Trainers of this kind, once they "ignite," especially when Infernape's Blaze ability activates, can nearly defeat even the likes of Cynthia's team, requiring her Garchomp to step in and barely secure a victory.
For such Trainers, learning a Toxic Stall strategy would be akin to dropping gold to pick up bronze. It would be like Johan teaching Steven tactics for Skarmory, but not showing Lance "sophisticated" strategies—because it simply doesn't suit their styles.
It's not that Steven lacks a close bond with his Pokémon, but rather, each Trainer has their own personality. Steven can occasionally burn with intensity, but it's not his primary mode. On the other hand, Lance's Pokémon, in essence, wouldn't suit such "sophisticated" strategies.
If Lance could just fully grasp his Viridian Force, that would be more than "sophisticated" enough.
In Pokémon Adventures, we see how Lance, the Dragon-type Champion, ended up losing to Green's Rattata and Caterpie due to the power of the Viridian Force.
That's a testament to its value.
"Next time we're back at the Academy, return it!" Johan scolded Haunter off to the side.
"The Hypno's Hypnosis ring isn't like the teeth of Pokémon like Seviper or Golbat that grow back once pulled."
"Ka-kah…"
Haunter drooped its head, still toying with the Hypnosis ring.
It found the thing quite handy…
Seeing Haunter like this, Johan sighed internally.
It's never easy…
"Mr. Johan," Officer Jenny approached with a serious expression.
"Haunter, take Vulpix and go play over there," Johan instructed, knowing what Officer Jenny was about to discuss but not forgetting the last time with the Academy's Passimian incident. He warned, "Don't cause trouble."
"Ka-kah…"
Haunter, still mourning the loss of its Hypnosis ring, nodded absent-mindedly.
Once the two Pokémon moved a bit further away, Officer Jenny spoke up.
"About the matter you asked me to investigate regarding Alolan Pokémon… there was a lead initially, but now it seems like it needs to be merged with the 'Pokémon Frenzy Incident' case."
The Vikavolt and the four Charjabug did show signs of losing control or going berserk, but they were somewhat different from the earlier Pokémon Johan had encountered.
Their loss of control wasn't as severe.
Johan speculated that it was probably due to the "shared burden" among the five Pokémon.
"So?" Johan asked.
"You were right about it involving 'Pokémon Poachers' and 'Smuggling'," Officer Jenny revealed.
Johan frowned at this news.
Pokémon Poachers are ruthless individuals who capture and sell Pokémon indiscriminately.
One poacher he particularly recalled was Hunter J.
It was during an encounter with a poacher that Flint and Volkner went from being rivals to best friends, teaming up to fend off the poacher, only to get beaten up in the process—and that's how they formed a bond.
Now, with this connection to Pokémon poachers, alongside the Frenzy Incidents, it seemed this wasn't a matter for just a mere Academy teacher to handle alone.
"Still, poachers who catch Pokémon from Alola and smuggle them to the Hoenn region aren't exactly common, are they?" Johan inquired.
Officer Jenny nodded.
"Indeed. Plus, the unprovoked frenzies among Pokémon are the two major angles we're focusing on."
"If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know," Johan stated earnestly.
Since this involved Vulpix, he had no choice but to get involved.
"Of course. We may need your help once these Vikavolt and Charjabug regain consciousness."
Meanwhile, Volkner, with Pikachu and Luxray by his side, stood with his hands in his pockets, watching Johan and Officer Jenny converse.
He could tell that Haunter wasn't necessarily stronger than Luxray or Pikachu, possibly even weaker. The reason Luxray's and Pikachu's attacks failed was purely due to Vikavolt siphoning off the electricity through its four Charjabug batteries.
But this wasn't of much concern to Volkner; the issue was resolved, and that was what mattered.
He recalled Luxray and turned to leave.
"Pika…"
Pikachu softly whimpered on his shoulder, a hint of sadness in its eyes.
Johan had noticed Volkner's departure but didn't stop him.
One, there wasn't a good reason to.
Two, he couldn't think of an immediate solution to Volkner's "problem."
Volkner's growing distaste for battles stemmed from constantly having to face Trainers challenging the Sunyshore Gym, all of whom were overconfident in their words but lacking in skill.
Honestly, if you constantly had to deal with "keyboard warriors" in person, anyone would get fed up, let alone Volkner, who aspired to challenge the Elite Four.
Over time, the frustration from dealing with these "keyboard warriors" evolved into a frustration with battles altogether.
Eventually, he simply began handing out Gym Badges without battles.
He figured it was better to spend his time working on engineering projects.
In the original story, it took both Flint and Ash—two equally "emotional" Trainers—to rekindle Volkner's fighting spirit, and Ash's use of Pikachu resonated with Volkner and brought him back to the thrill of battling.
But where was Johan going to find two passionate Trainers?
And preferably ones who owned Pikachu?
It was quite a headache for him.
Unless I just hit him hard enough to force a recovery through sheer adversity, Johan thought grimly.
"Please leave it here. Thank you very much."
A Machoke carried a large box into Johan's house, and with Johan and Haunter's guidance, set it down in a cleared area.
After gently placing the box down, the Machoke even helped unwrap the packaging, revealing a professional-grade Berry Blender machine.
"Thanks for your help," Johan said, handing over two Pokéblocks.
"Choke~~"
Machoke grunted, shaking its head to indicate that it couldn't accept food from customers due to professional standards.
It then pulled out a card reader from the belt around its waist.
Cash or card?
Johan chuckled awkwardly and pulled out his card.
The Machoke completed the transaction skillfully, even tidying up the discarded cardboard and taking the trash away.
Haunter looked on with a twitching brow.
See? That's professionalism!
But soon enough, all attention returned to the shiny, human-sized Berry Blender.
Originally, Johan had planned to purchase a second-hand one, but due to the Vikavolt incident, the electronics mall's owner gave him and Volkner discount vouchers as thanks.
Volkner tossed his away, uninterested in "mass-market" machinery.
Pikachu picked it up and handed it to Haunter.
Haunter then passed it to Johan, calling it "compensation." Johan couldn't refuse, as Volkner was already gone.
With gritted teeth, Johan ended up buying a brand-new Berry Blender.
"Oowu…"
Vulpix sat in front of the massive blender, mouth agape, astonished at the "big contraption."
Johan read the manual while taking out a selection of pre-prepared Berries.
Operating the Berry Blender wasn't too difficult.
The actual process of making Pokéblocks wasn't complicated either—what mattered most was the correct balance of ingredients and blending time.
It would be challenging to figure this out from scratch, but if given a recipe, it would be much easier.
Soon enough, the "big guy" began to hum and blend smoothly, impressing Johan with its "high-end" quality and minimal noise, ensuring it wouldn't disturb the neighbors.
After roughly half an hour…
Brightly colored, crystal-like Pokéblocks began to emerge.
These were Pinap Pokéblocks, made primarily from Pinap Berries. Their main effect was to replenish a Pokémon's stamina while providing essential nutrients for daily needs.
Haunter impatiently wrapped its tongue around one and popped it into its mouth, closing its eyes to savor the taste.
Vulpix, too, cautiously picked up a warm Pokéblock and took a small nibble.
The two Pokémon exchanged glances.
"Ka-kah~~(`)"
"Oowu~~(′▽`〃)"
"Is it really that good?"
Seeing their expressions, Johan was genuinely surprised at his first attempt.
Could I be a natural at making Pokéblocks?
He casually picked one up and tossed it into his mouth.
A second later—
His face flushed red.
"Pfft—"
Shortly after, both Haunter and Vulpix spit theirs out as well.
The room was filled with the sounds of "bleh, bleh, bleh."
Johan felt utterly defeated inside.
It's over. Vulpix's been completely led astray by Haunter…
"You two troublemakers…"
"Ka-kah-kah~~乛乛"
"Owuuwu~~（＾＾●）"
For a moment, the room was filled with laughter and joy.
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Powerstones?
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