"Teacher Johan, you're pretty ruthless, huh?"
At a café just outside the academy, Johan, Steven, Roxanne, and Flannery were seated together.
To avoid interrupting students' coursework, the academy scheduled the instructor assessment on weekends. But for an event like this, students were more than willing to sacrifice a bit of their weekend to witness the spectacle.
Hearing Flannery's surprised, slightly teasing comment, Johan could only respond with a helpless smile.
"What if I said it wasn't intentional? Would you believe me?"
The three exchanged glances and nodded in unison, but the smiles on their faces revealed their true thoughts.
Johan sighed, rubbing his forehead and taking a long sip of coffee. Then he remarked mildly, "Midterms may be over, but the grading's not, and neither are participation scores…"
"Absolutely!"
The three of them immediately responded in a united, emphatic tone.
Finally, Johan was satisfied with their response.
"By the way, Teacher Johan, you might not know that Teacher Yuka's cousin is Erika," Roxanne mentioned casually.
Erika?
The Grass-type specialist and Gym Leader from Celadon City? The floral arrangement instructor at Celadon University?
Johan clicked his tongue, momentarily unsure of what to say.
Good thing he taught at Rustboro Pokémon Academy and not at Celadon University.
"I'll make sure to explain things to Teacher Yuka sometime. It really wasn't on purpose…" Johan sighed.
The others glanced at Johan's Pokémon nearby. Haunter and Vulpix were absorbed in their books, while Tinkatink tirelessly swung its hammer with remarkable focus. The sight stirred something in them.
Teacher Johan's rapid growth in skill must have been fueled by effort they could barely imagine.
"Oh, right, Steven."
"Yes?"
"You probably have some rare metals at home, right? I'd like to order a small batch, if it's possible…"
Steven was momentarily taken aback, then flashed a sunny smile and waved it off. "Teacher Johan, don't worry about it! I'll have a ton delivered to your house."
"Cough… cough…"
Johan almost choked on his coffee at Steven's generosity. A ton? Tinkatink might be so excited that it'd end up tearing the house apart.
"No need for that much, and I can't just take it for free."
Steven rubbed the rim of his coffee cup, looking slightly troubled. "Rare metals typically start at one-ton orders…"
Johan was speechless.
"Let's do this. I'll allocate a portion of my own to you. My Aggron and the others don't finish it anyway. As for the price, Teacher, you can just pay me the base cost; otherwise, I'd have trouble explaining it to my father."
Johan soon realized that even at cost price, the metals were still quite expensive.
Then again, Devon's metals were among the highest quality available in the entire Pokémon world.
"Also, do any of you know where I could find some high-quality 'Psychic Seeds'?" Johan added.
It was possible to buy Psychic Seeds online, but they were not only expensive but also generally of average quality.
"Psychic Seeds, hmm… perhaps Old Man Ramos might have some. I could check for you, Teacher," Roxanne suggested.
Old Man Ramos, the Grass-type Gym Leader from the Kalos region, was known as "the old tree that still blooms" and owned a vast farm. His strength was also quite formidable, likely nearing the level of an Elite Four.
"Thank you very much."
"No need to be so formal, Teacher."
Famous Actress: I showed the script to a talented director I know. He had two words to say.
Back home, Johan saw a message from Diantha.
Famous Actress: He said it's amazing!
Two words?
Famous Actress: But he also mentioned that it would be a challenging production.
Of course.
If they were to follow Johan's script exactly, the difficulty would be far beyond average. Mount Coronet, for instance, wasn't a place one could easily access, let alone set up scenes or gather large groups of Pokémon and trainers.
Not to mention…
Would filming on Mount Coronet's summit attract the "llama"? Invite the "llama" to watch a movie? Or… to join the cast?
Johan shook his head and quickly replied.
Grain in the Field: That's something I hadn't initially considered. My suggestion is… maybe let's shelve it for now?
Famous Actress: That's… probably best.
Grain in the Field: I'll make some revisions and try again.
Putting his phone down, Johan called out to his Pokémon lounging in the living room, "Dinner's ready!"
After dinner, Johan summoned Vulpix.
"Oowu?"
The little fox obediently sat in front of him, its large blue eyes blinking up at him.
Thanks to Johan's training, Vulpix was now leagues ahead of the shy, timid creature it had been when they first met. Its coat gleamed, its health was visibly improved, and its timid nature had softened. Though still cautious, it rarely lost control of its powers.
"Today, we'll work on strengthening 'Hypnosis.'"
"Oowu?"
Vulpix's eyes sparkled.
The "Hypnosis" technique of the House of Johan?
So cute…
Johan seized the chance to ruffle the soft white fur on Vulpix's head, leaving it adorably tousled.
"Oowu!" Vulpix pouted, pawing at its fur and licking its paws in an attempt to smooth it out.
Johan chuckled softly, then cleared his throat when Vulpix shot him an annoyed look.
"Ahem, back to business. Now, while you've learned a lot from Haunter, remember that you're different from it. Don't go down the 'fear' path; try guiding your target's thoughts to pleasant things instead."
"Oowu?"
Vulpix tilted its head. Pleasant things?
"Nightmares might shock an opponent, but a good dream… it can draw them in."
As Vulpix listened intently, Johan explained the concept of beautiful dreams, or "sweet dreams." Haunter's approach was to exploit an opponent's fears, while sweet dreams focused on what the opponent desired most.
"Why don't you try using Hypnosis on me?"
After a moment of hesitation, Vulpix's eyes began to glow with a faint psychic energy.
"Oo…wu…"
Vulpix had learned quite a bit from Haunter's Hypnosis techniques, such as creating settings and simulating vivid scenarios. Gradually, as Johan fell under the influence of the move, a melody seemed to play in his ears.
He found himself at a grand, white chapel, dressed in a crisp suit.
To a jubilant tune, a woman in a white wedding dress holding a bouquet walked slowly toward him.
Huh? Was this… a wedding?
Golden hair floated beneath a delicate veil as she shyly lifted her face…
And revealed Haunter's twisted, grinning face!
"Ahhh!"
Johan snapped awake with a start.
"Ka-kah-kah-kah~~"
In the air beside him, Haunter was rolling around laughing hysterically.
"Vulpix, use Confusion—teach it a lesson!"
"Oowu!"
Vulpix wrinkled its nose, looking thoroughly annoyed. It had nearly pulled off the perfect Hypnosis, until Haunter ruined it. Eyes narrowing, it released a burst of psychic energy, launching Haunter straight into the wall.
"Ka… kah…"
"Vulpix, I've been meaning to tell you, Reflect can also be used offensively. Try pinning Haunter against the wall with Reflect."
Vulpix's eyes glowed with psychic energy as an invisible barrier materialized, pressing Haunter into the wall like a Haunter pancake.
"Ka…kah…" (So… love… does fade…)
Haunter couldn't break through Reflect, though it soon phased through the wall and reappeared, sparring playfully with Vulpix.
Tinkatink gently tugged at Johan's pant leg.
"Chu?"
Is there an advanced way to use "Hammer Sleep"?
Johan was momentarily stumped, though an idea struck him. "Swing!"
"Chu~~"
Tinkatink's eyes sparkled in realization.
Hold on, I was just talking… what did it understand?
In any case, nightmares, sweet dreams, and physical force should cover most psychological needs.
Perfect.
Just then, the phone rang.
Johan stepped out onto the balcony to take his usual sleep-counseling calls.
"Ka-kah!"
Haunter poked its head down from the ceiling, beckoning to Tinkatink with a conspiratorial grin.
"Chu?"
Tinkatink, who had been mentally cataloging things in the house it could smash without Johan getting mad, looked up.
Haunter's eyes glinted mischievously.
"Ka-kah~~"
Hey, let's try that move again.
"Chu?"
Tinkatink blinked, then remembered.
"Chu?"
Metronome?
"Ka-kah-ka-kah~~"
Haunter nodded, its grin growing even wider.
After a moment's hesitation, Tinkatink set down its hammer.
"Chu."
Alright.
Haunter's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Ka-kah-ka-kah!"
Let's get rolling! Time for chaos!
But suddenly, Haunter and Tinkatink froze in place.
They turned slowly and saw…
Vulpix smiling
innocently at them.
"Oowu?"
The next morning, Sunday.
Today was day two of the instructor assessments, and according to the academy's schedule, the top sixteen would be decided today, with the remaining rounds taking place the following weekend.
Johan arrived at school bright and early.
Only to find out that, due to the uneven number of participants, he'd received a very lucky… bye round!
Thirty-one teachers remained, and he just happened to be the lucky thirty-first person!
"I feel like… today's my day to buy a lottery ticket."
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Powerstones?
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