Back home.
Johan released Nidoqueen and let the little ones play together in the room. Meanwhile, he stepped onto the balcony, staring at the message on his phone showing a one-million Pokédollar transfer. He was lost in deep thought.
"As expected of Giovanni. He really knows how to target people's weaknesses."
"Always striking where it hurts most—my fragile heart..."
For Johan, nothing was more tempting than money right now.
But before he could dwell on it for long, his attention was drawn back to his phone by the endless stream of notifications.
There was no avoiding it.
This match had drawn unprecedented attention due to Drake, the Jenny officers, and the "encirclement" strategy's fame. On top of that, his excellent demonstration of tactical prowess had captured widespread interest.
His online psychology consultation inbox and friend requests were now almost completely maxed out.
Even if he set aside time for consultations, it felt like an endless queue.
"For the first time, being famous doesn't feel all that great..."
But soon, Cynthia's phone call "rescued" him from the bombardment.
"Sinnoh seems to be snowing," Cynthia began with her usual calm tone.
Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn regions weren't far apart, so they shared similar climates. Sinnoh, however, was situated north of these regions, making it a bit colder overall.
In fact...
With Mount Coronet's influence, and its constant snowfall, northern Sinnoh was blanketed by snow throughout the year.
"Well, that's nice. You can build a snowman," Johan joked.
To his surprise, Cynthia seemed to take his words to heart.
Her voice became softer, almost nostalgic.
"When I was little in Celestic Town, every snowfall, Gible and I would build snowmen. I'd build its parents, and it would build mine..."
Come to think of it, Cynthia had only ever mentioned her grandmother, Professor Carolina. She had never brought up her parents.
"And... none of our snowmen looked anything like what they were supposed to."
Cynthia's voice turned lighthearted again, and Johan could almost picture her scrunching up her nose.
"It's been so long since I last built a snowman."
Before Johan could say anything, Cynthia seemed to realize she was veering off-topic. She added, "I saw your match today. That was an interesting tactic."
For others, it might have been tricky or clever, but for Cynthia...
Garchomp could probably sweep the entire team with just one Dragon Rush.
"Ahem, it was just a casual strategy. Worked out better than I expected," Johan said, clearing his throat.
"Drasna said your tactic inspired her a lot. She'd like to discuss it with you someday," Cynthia teased, a playful lilt in her voice.
Johan paused.
Drasna?
The dragon lady?
The bookworm?
The future Ghost-type Elite Four of Unova?
The famous novelist?
"It's just a regular Baton Pass strategy..." Johan muttered.
"She's more interested in discussing creative writing with you."
"Hmm?"
"You sent Diantha a script once, didn't you? Drasna saw it and thought your ideas were interesting. Maybe share it with me too sometime?"
A cold sweat ran down Johan's forehead.
He could sense a faint hint of "danger" over the phone.
"Ahem, I... borrowed it."
"Borrowed?" Cynthia's tone sharpened.
"An old man once told me the story, and I remembered it. I just adapted it a little..."
"Really—?"
Cynthia's voice dragged out, full of doubt.
"R-really."
After a brief silence, Cynthia laughed—a clear, melodic sound.
"Alright, I just wanted to remind you not to forget the event in a few days."
"Got it."
Though he said that, Johan's mind was racing.
A few days? What event?
Thankfully, it wasn't something minor. He quickly remembered.
The Pokémon Researcher Conference—Mount Coronet Edition!
"Well, rest up. You had a big match today."
The call ended.
Johan's side hustle: -1.
"Sure," Johan replied.
Just as he was about to hang up, he added:
"Oh, one more thing."
"Hmm?"
"It's snowing—drink more hot water."
Johan, having composed himself, was about to head back inside. But as soon as he stepped into the room, he froze.
He glanced back at the balcony.
This is my house, right?
Unconvinced, he stepped in again, and his jaw dropped.
"What... is this?!"
The once-cozy room was now covered in snow and ice!
From the looks of it, the space had been turned into a winter wonderland.
Haunter emerged from a snow pile, completely covered in frost, looking like a "Snow-Haunter."
"Ka-kah~~"
Haunter grinned and waved at Johan.
"Join us for a snowball fight!"
Thwack!
Before Haunter could say more, a snowball flew at it from behind. The snowball passed harmlessly through Haunter and hit Johan squarely in the knee.
"Nidoqueen!"
Nidoqueen huffed in mock frustration, calling Haunter a cheater.
"Ka-kah, Ka-kah~~" Haunter taunted her with a smug grin.
"Playing snowball fights with a Ghost-type? You're asking to lose."
Thwack!
This time, a snowball hit Haunter right in the face.
Snow scattered everywhere.
Haunter blinked in confusion.
What just happened?
Nidoqueen burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.
"Ne-do, Ne-do~~"
She smugly flexed her fists, which glowed faintly with Ice-type energy, revealing that she'd used Ice Punch.
Not to be outdone, Haunter plunged its claws into the snow, quickly forming a massive snowball.
"Ne... Ne-do! Σ(дlll)"
"Cheater!"
"Ka-kah, ka-kah~~"
Haunter grinned wickedly and hurled the oversized snowball, burying half of Nidoqueen under the snow.
If you looked closely, you'd notice that Haunter's claws also carried traces of Ice-type energy when it launched the snowball.
Johan: "..."
A vein throbbed on his forehead.
Before he could explode, Vulpix and Tinkatink called out.
"Oowu, oowu~~"
"Chu, chu~~"
Looking in their direction, Johan saw a snowman standing between them.
It bore a startling resemblance to himself.
Complete with...
A grinning Haunter perched on its shoulder, a tiny Vulpix on its head, and Tinkatink cradled in its arms.
It was almost disturbingly accurate.
Nearby was a less fortunate attempt at a Nidoqueen snowman, which had apparently been smashed apart.
Johan turned to Nidoqueen.
She tilted her head and crossed her arms, her cheeks tinged pink.
"Ne-do!"
It wasn't me!
Johan took a deep breath. Then another. He muttered under his breath:
"The world is so beautiful, but I'm feeling so... what the heck is this mess!"
His "fierce" gaze swept the room.
Following his line of sight, the Pokémon all looked around the room too.
Haunter, Vulpix, Tinkatink, and Nidoqueen: d(д)
How did it turn out like this?
"So... who's responsible?"
They hesitated for a moment. Then, simultaneously, Haunter, Vulpix, and Nidoqueen pointed fingers.
In completely different directions.
Vulpix pointed at Haunter, Haunter pointed at Nidoqueen, and Nidoqueen pointed at Tinkatink.
"Chu?"
Realizing it was being blamed, Tinkatink raised its hammer... and pointed at Vulpix.
Johan: "..."
A perfect circle, huh?
"Haunter!"
He turned to the oldest—and most mischievous—culprit.
"Ka... ka-kah..." Haunter laughed nervously, raising a claw to summon Ice-type energy.
Ice Punch!
Johan's eye twitched.
It learned it?
But Ice Punch alone couldn't have caused this chaos.
Then Nidoqueen stepped up, demonstrating her own Ice Punch.
Tinkatink raised its hammer, now covered in frost.
Ice Hammer!
Finally, Vulpix let out a small puff of icy breath. The frost swirled into a miniature snow tornado.
"Is that... Blizzard?!"
Johan's eyes widened.
It really learned it?
"Ne-do, Ne-do~~" Nidoqueen nodded approvingly, clearly proud.
Johan opened his Pokédex and saw that Blizzard had indeed appeared in Vulpix's move list, though its entry was faint and unrefined.
"Oowu~~"
Vulpix sheepishly scratched its head.
Johan sighed deeply.
Mystery solved.
This mess was the combined effort of all four Pokémon!
While he was pleased with their progress—Haunter learning Ice Punch, and Vulpix mastering Blizzard—did it have to come at this cost?
Breathing out slowly, he asked:
"So... where are we sleeping tonight?"
Hearing this, Haunter cracked its knuckles.
"Ka-kah!"
Blue Ghostly flames ignited on its claws.
Nidoqueen's eyes lit up, and she followed suit with Fire Punch.
Tinkatink's hammer morphed into a makeshift shovel, and Vulpix's psychic powers flared to life.
"Wait!" Johan stopped them.
"Let me take a picture first."
With that...
Click—
He snapped a photo of the snowman.
Then
, rolling up his sleeves and grabbing a spatula from the kitchen, he swept his gaze across the Pokémon.
"Alright, time to clean up!"
Sinnoh Region, Celestic Town.
"No snow, huh..."
Cynthia stepped outside, stretching out her hand, only to find no snowflakes falling. A hint of disappointment crossed her face.
"Gar... chom?"
"Lu... c?"
Garchomp and Lucario, each carrying snowman-building tools, exchanged puzzled looks.
She looks so sad. What do we do?
Lucario glanced at Garchomp.
No idea...
Cynthia's phone buzzed, interrupting their silent panic.
Picking it up, she saw a message from Johan.
It was short.
[Grain in the Field]: Snowman.
Attached was a picture of the snowman Vulpix and Tinkatink had built.
Cynthia's disappointment vanished instantly, replaced by a bright smile.
Zooming in on the snowman's face, she took a screenshot and replied with two words:
[Eevee Eats Cabbage]: So ugly. (Snowman Johan Face Close-Up.jpg)
"Hmm~"
Stretching lazily, Cynthia turned to Garchomp and Lucario, now looking hopeful.
"I'm thirsty."
Garchomp and Lucario immediately snapped to attention, rushing off to fetch her some water.
"Make it hot~"
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Powerstones?
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