"Got the Move Tutor!"
After the match, Johan high-fived Haunter and Vulpix.
Their original goal was to "coast" to the quarterfinals and score the Move Tutor reward.
Now that they'd reached their goal, there was no pressure for the rest of the tournament.
Plus, the Pokémon Academy in Rustboro had a very complete move library. It was only a matter of whether the Move Tutor reward would cover certain exclusive moves.
For example, moves like "Swords Dance" or "Hyper Beam" were rarely available, nearly impossible to find on the market.
If they could get those, it'd be a huge win.
Back in the stands:
"Aggronn!!"
Steven's Aggron nearly cried with relief when Johan returned.
Carefully setting Tinkatink down, it immediately returned to its Pokéball on Steven's belt.
Johan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Tinkatink.
"Chu~~"
Tinkatink tilted her head innocently, blinking sweetly.
Johan turned to Steven for an explanation.
But Steven's face held his usual calm smile as he said, "Tinkatink helped Aggron identify a flaw."
"A flaw?"
Roxanne and Flannery glanced knowingly at each other, giving Johan a clue.
Looking more closely, he noticed Tinkatink was holding a piece of dark gray metal.
Johan: "??"
Could it be that Tinkatink actually pried off a piece of Aggron's armor?
Noticing his expression, Tinkatink quickly hid the metal behind her back, looked to the sky, and whistled silently.
"Chu (ε｀)" (I swear that piece… was loose.)
Seeing the dark line forming on Johan's forehead, Steven quickly added:
"Don't blame her, Teacher. In fact, Aggron and I owe her our thanks."
Huh?
"Aggron eats a lot of metal, and over time, he sheds old, hardened armor that lacks the original strength. The new armor grows back tougher and stronger."
Steven smiled at Tinkatink, "The spot she found was one that Aggron and I had both overlooked."
Tinkatink was often able to spot imperfections, especially in metal structures, and make repairs.
Johan had always assumed his Tinkatink lacked this skill, given that anything she "fixed" often ended up in pieces.
Turns out, she just preferred "repairing" other Pokémon's armor.
"I'm even thinking of asking her to take a look at Skarmory…" Steven remarked thoughtfully.
Tinkatink's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Metal, armor, bird—all the perfect elements!
Johan quickly scooped her up.
Steven's suggestion sounded bold, but letting Tinkatink near Skarmory would surely result in it being stripped down to the bare feathers!
Tinkatink placed her hands on her hips and arched her brow.
"Chu?" (Cool, right?)
Johan's eye twitched.
Yeah, cool. Too cool.
Rustboro Pokémon Academy - Administration Office
Head Instructor Minjiang reviewed the list of teachers who'd advanced to the quarterfinals, his eyebrows raising slightly.
"Pokémon Psychology Instructor Johan?"
In past years, plenty of non-battle instructors signed up for the battle assessment.
For battle instructors, it was an evaluation.
But for others, it was a "bonus round."
Aside from rewards earned each round, the score could contribute "extra points" during future evaluations. Even one victory was enough to secure a few "bonus points."
That's why so many non-battle instructors applied.
But advancing to the quarterfinals? That was a rare feat for any non-battle instructor.
It signaled that the teacher might be skilled enough to teach in the battle department.
They might not qualify as advisors, but they'd make perfectly capable subject instructors.
Minjiang did know a bit about Johan. He had a reputation in the academy, and his videos and papers were somewhat popular online.
Minjiang smiled.
"Maybe we can expand his 'benefits' a bit."
The academy was always eager to support well-rounded instructors.
Especially those with a bit of a public profile.
After all, it helped attract new students.
"If he makes it to the semifinals…"
Minjiang shook his head.
Getting to the semifinals was no easy feat.
Still, even at this stage, Johan was already shaping up to be a top contender for this year's "Outstanding Teacher" award.
Back at Johan's Place
"Come on out, Nidoqueen."
"Nido…"
Yawning and stretching, Nidoqueen rubbed her eyes.
That was a restful sleep.
She'd almost forgotten how long it had been since she slept so well.
In her dream, she'd found herself in a tranquil, worry-free world that seemed to belong entirely to her.
Waking up, she felt a hint of reluctance to leave that dream.
She was still feeling extremely refreshed. Better than she had in ages—aside from…
… a bit of hunger.
Suddenly, a savory scent wafted by.
"Nido?"
She raised her head curiously and saw Johan standing in front of her, holding a tray of freshly-made, steaming Pokéblocks.
"Want some?"
"Oowu~~"
They're really tasty, Vulpix mumbled, cheeks puffed with a mouthful of Pokéblock.
Haunter, hanging upside down from the ceiling, was munching away as he waved to Nidoqueen.
Tinkatink, meanwhile, barely looked at Nidoqueen. She was more focused on the piece of metal she'd pried from Aggron, contemplating how best to hammer it into something useful. It was even sturdier than the rare metals Johan had recently purchased.
Nidoqueen's gaze lingered on Johan.
She didn't feel as reluctant around him as before.
But still, she wasn't about to just accept food from a male!
"Nido! o(^｀)o"
Nidoqueen turned away in a huff.
Johan just smiled, set the Pokéblocks in front of her, and said, "Alright, I'll go make some other flavors."
Moments later, Johan heard a quiet chewing sound.
He waited a bit before "casually" walking by Nidoqueen again.
"Nido?"
Nidoqueen's head shot up, cheeks stuffed full, surprise and panic written across her face.
It looked like she wanted to explain something, but as she opened her mouth, she almost spat out her mouthful. So she quickly shut it.
Gulp—
Under Johan's amused gaze, she swallowed hard.
"Nido, Nido! (o#゜曲゜)o"
You looking at me? I'll claw your eyes out!
But by now, Nidoqueen's bluster had little effect on him.
With a grin, he remarked, "A bit of a tsundere, huh?"
"Ka-kah~~()σ"
Haunter rolled around on the ceiling, clutching his sides.
Nidoqueen's face flushed with embarrassment.
She stood up abruptly, shouting at Haunter.
"Nido!"
She threw a punch in his direction.
But Haunter quickly phased into the ceiling, reappearing elsewhere with a taunting look.
"Ka-kah, Ka-kah!"
Can't hit me, na-na-na-na-na!
Nidoqueen's expression darkened.
Ice spread across her fists as she swung again.
Ice Punch!
Seeing this, Haunter's expression shifted.
He threw his own punch, shrouded in a dark mist.
Shadow Punch!
Black met white as their fists clashed midair.
Bam!
Head-to-head, Haunter didn't stand a chance.
His punch was deflected, leaving frost on his hand.
"Ka-kah…"
But Haunter didn't seem pained or discouraged. In fact, he looked thoughtful.
Ice Punch…
Nidoqueen proudly lifted her chin, snorting.
"Nido?" (Concede?)
Though she acted tough, she'd actually held back and hadn't used her full strength.
Haunter shook his hand, flicking off the remaining frost.
He grinned, licking his tongue menacingly.
"Ka-kah!"
Bring it on!
"Nido!"
Nidoqueen's gaze turned steely.
But before she could act, Johan called out, "Stop!"
Nidoqueen looked ready to protest, but she obeyed.
Haunter gleefully stuck out his tongue at her.
"If you're going to fight, take it outside. Don't disrupt others."
All the Pokémon, including Nidoqueen, glanced at him in surprise.
Without missing a beat, Johan signaled to Haunter with a subtle wink.
Haunter caught on instantly.
Putting on a pair of sunglasses, he beckoned to Nidoqueen.
"Ka-kah~~щ(▼▼щ)"
Come on.
With that, Haunter led Nidoqueen out.
"Oo-owu?"
Watching them go, Vulpix couldn't help asking, Are… are you sure that's okay?
"It's fine."
Even if Haunter couldn't overpower Nidoqueen, he could easily dodge her attacks.
Besides, after yesterday's "Sweet Dreams" session, Nidoqueen's mood and friendliness had significantly improved.
She was just a bit of a tsundere now.
Johan even suspected her breakup was due to that same attitude.
Most Pokémon had a pretty straightforward way of thinking, after all.
"Keeping her distracted helps with recovery."
With that, he patted Vulpix and Tinkatink's heads.
Noting their curious looks, he added, "What are you waiting for? Go with them. A strong sparring partner like Nidoqueen isn't easy to find."
Johan couldn't help thinking to himself: He
was likely the only person in the Pokémon world to have one of Giovanni's Pokémon as a training partner.
Vulpix and Tinkatink quickly caught on.
They raced out.
Johan was going to suggest that they study her moves carefully.
Given Nidoqueen's vast moveset, there was bound to be something useful.
Then again…
Knowing these three, did they even need reminding?
Left unchecked, Haunter, Vulpix, and Tinkatink could turn an empty desert into treasure trove.
And any bird flying by would lose a few feathers in the process.
Rather than worrying about them learning, Johan found himself wondering how much they'd manage to swipe from Nidoqueen.
First, they'd "borrowed" from Aggron, and now from Nidoqueen…
Johan let out a sigh.
"They really are milking it to the last drop."
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Powerstones?
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