"Wait, what's this? A surprise stream?"
"Didn't he already finish the Battle Tower? Why is there another stream? How's my Gengar? Has it recovered?"
"Two Battle Frontier facilities in one day? What's next on the list?"
"Hold up, did I see that right? Johan is challenging the Battle Pike?"
"Is he planning on streaming nonstop for an entire month?"
The moment Scott's stream, titled "Johan Teaches You How to Conquer the Battle Frontier", went live, viewers flooded in.
Some were well-versed in the rules of each facility, but most weren't.
To help, Scott thoughtfully pinned a detailed explanation of the Battle Pike's rules to the livestream.
"Wait... 140 rooms of pure luck? Johan is seriously daring!"
"I heard someone once got stuck inside for an entire month."
"Who's been feeding Johan lies about his good luck?"
The chat erupted into chaos.
Johan stood at the ominous entrance to the Battle Pike, designed like a giant Seviper's open maw. He wasn't paying attention to the livestream chat but could easily imagine what they were saying.
Smirking, he muttered, "Hmph. Time for you all to witness the true power of the Johan family's luck!"
With confident strides, he entered the facility.
The first room was empty, save for three doors ahead.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Emerald was notoriously unlucky in the Battle Pike, exploring 139 rooms before finally reaching the Frontier Brain in the 140th.
"Hakuryu, I'm leaving this to you," Johan said to his Dragonair. "No overthinking. Just pick a door by instinct."
"Draaa?"
Dragonair tilted its head quizzically but obediently waved its tail to point at a door.
Johan, however, didn't walk toward the chosen door.
Instead, he stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Good. That eliminates one wrong choice."
Dragonair: ???
Turning to Jirachi, he communicated through his Aura powers:
"Jirachi, it's your turn. Two doors left. Pick whichever feels right."
Jirachi's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"This one! Johan, this one!"
Without hesitation, Johan opened the door Jirachi had chosen.
The room beyond was completely empty — no traps, no trainers, and no Pokémon guards.
The livestream chat exploded.
"Excuse me?! Did he just blatantly cheat?!"
"Is this even allowed? Using Dragonair to 'filter' the bad choices?"
"Well, technically, the rules don't say you can't use your Pokémon's abilities. It's dirty, but fair."
"I can't believe what I'm seeing..."
Johan couldn't care less about the outrage.
"This is nothing," he muttered. "If I wanted, I could just have Gengar phase through walls to find the Frontier Brain directly."
However, he decided against it.
While using Gengar would make this much faster, Johan figured someone else might try the same trick in the future. It was better to address this loophole now.
Turning toward the camera for the first time, Johan said, "Let me show you another method. But don't follow my example."
Gesturing to his shadow, he called, "Gengar."
"Ka-kaah?"
Gengar emerged, yawning and rubbing its eyes.
"Check out the next room. Let me know if it's safe."
"Ka-kaah!"
Gengar's eyes lit up mischievously. It cackled, then phased into the adjacent room.
Moments later, Gengar reappeared, holding a Potion in its hand.
"Ka-kaah~!"
There's someone in there, but I grabbed this while they weren't looking.
The smug grin on its face was unmistakable.
The livestream chat erupted in disbelief.
"??????"
"Did he just... send Gengar to rob someone?!"
"Not gonna lie, that's hilarious."
"Teacher Johan, are you serious right now?"
Johan turned to a dumbfounded Scott and said with a grin, "Of course, I wouldn't recommend this method. Right, Mr. Scott?"
Scott's expression froze, and after a brief pause, he nodded stiffly.
"I'll... update the rules immediately."
The chat went wild again.
"You've got to be kidding! He's changing the rules mid-stream?"
"Johan's officially the biggest troll ever!"
"Why does this feel less like cheating and more like... education?"
While the audience hurled playful insults, Johan gained a new nickname: The Rule Maker.
Even Steven, Flannery, and Roxanne couldn't help but laugh.
"That's so like Johan," Flannery remarked.
"Perhaps it's his down-to-earth, unpretentious nature that makes him so likable," Roxanne added.
Deep within the Battle Pike, the Frontier Brain Lucy — or as fans called her, the Queen of the Pipes — watched the livestream with a bemused expression.
This guy is something else, she thought.
With Dragonair and Jirachi as his guides, Johan progressed through the Battle Pike with remarkable ease.
Not only did he avoid any major obstacles, but he also collected a variety of items — like Potions and Berries — originally meant to help struggling trainers.
For most challengers, the Battle Pike required meticulous preparation and endurance.
For Johan, it was a casual stroll.
In less than an hour, he reached the final room, where Lucy awaited.
Lucy was a quiet and reserved woman, not one for idle chatter. Seeing Johan enter, she simply stated:
"If you want the symbol, you'll have to beat me first."
Johan knew Lucy specialized in status-based strategies, particularly using moves like Substitute and Toxic.
Viewers familiar with Lucy's tactics chimed in.
"Substitute-Toxic strategy? Pfft. Does she know who she's up against?"
"Johan's about to teach everyone how to counter that nonsense."
"Pipe Queen Lucy? More like Pipe Dream Lucy. She's doomed."
As the referee signaled the start of the battle, both trainers released their Pokémon.
Lucy's choice was Shuckle — a small, unassuming Pokémon with a red, hollow shell dotted with holes.
"Shuckle, the Mold Pokémon. A Bug- and Rock-type known for fermenting berries into juice within its shell, often underestimated due to its appearance," Rotom Dex explained.
Johan, however, wasn't fooled.
Shuckle was infamous among competitive players for its absurd defensive stats, which made it a cornerstone of stall strategies.
His counter? Tinkaton.
The pink-haired Steel- and Fairy-type stepped onto the field, its massive hammer smashing into the ground with a resounding thud.
"Cha-cha~! (｀)Ψ"
Tinkaton grinned wickedly, ready for battle.
Lucy's first move was Power Split, a move that averages the user's and target's Attack and Special Attack stats.
For Tinkaton, with its naturally high Attack, this could severely limit its offensive power.
"Shuckle, Power Split!" Lucy commanded.
A faint energy glimmered around Shuckle, reaching toward Tinkaton.
"Dodge behind a rock!" Johan countered.
The battlefield was barren, devoid of any rocks.
Until...
BOOM!
Tinkaton slammed its hammer into the ground, uprooting a massive chunk of the arena to use as cover.
"Wait... did it just MAKE a rock?"
"That's not a rock! That's part of the stage!"
"Can we still call this fair?"
Even Lucy looked momentarily stunned.
"Tinkaton, Gigaton Hammer!"
Tinkaton charged forward, its hammer gleaming with metallic energy.
Lucy reacted quickly.
"Shuckle, Protect!"
But Tinkaton's overwhelming power shattered the Protect barrier, sending Shuckle flying across the arena.
When the dust settled, the battlefield was in ruins, and Shuckle was knocked out.
Scott stared at the destruction, his face pale.
"Didn't someone just say Johan wasn't destructive...?"
Standing amidst the chaos, Johan grinned.
"Looks like I passed the first test, Lucy."
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates