"So, you guys defeated Kyurem?"
Lucian crossed his legs as he sat on a bench, closing his book with a suspicious look in his eyes.
Though, come to think of it, it wasn't that hard to believe.
"No. Kyurem just regained clarity and returned to its old lair," Johan replied, sitting on the other side of the bench.
Defeat Kyurem? With what? Their bare hands?
Kyurem had already entered its rampage state at the time—unless Mewtwo Mega Evolved again, there was no way they could've taken it down.
Lucian gave him a "do I look like I was born yesterday" expression.
"Speaking of which, isn't this year's 'Youth Masters World Championship' lineup a bit too stacked?" Johan looked around the bustling street, noticing quite a few familiar faces and smacking his lips in disbelief.
"Aren't they all stacked?" Lucian looked around as well, adjusted his glasses, then reluctantly admitted, "Okay, yeah, this one's especially stacked."
Stacked is an understatement.
Future champions alone included Lance from Kanto, Steven and Wallace from Hoenn, Cynthia from Sinnoh, Diantha from Kalos, and Leon from Galar. All of them, even now, were at least on par with the Elite Four of their respective regions.
Beyond them, there were big names like Kanto's Lorelei, Johto's Will and Karen, Sinnoh's "Three Dummies," Volkner, Unova's Caitlin and Iris, Galar's Raihan...
Especially Lorelei and Sinnoh's "Three Dummies."
Everyone knows the Kanto League's top strength—while only one person can be Champion, many argue the Kanto Elite Four are on par with champions from other regions.
As for the "Three Dummies"...
Lucian didn't need explaining. His strategic ability was undisputed—he was the brain of the trio.
Aaron might come off as goofy, but in battle he was deadly serious, one of the few in the Pokémon world to reach the Elite Four using only Bug-type Pokémon.
And Flint...
He uses his passion for battle to pull opponents to his level and then beats them with his experience! That style was kind of similar to Lance's.
At this point, most of these figures were all together in the same lounge, laughing and chatting like old friends.
Johan couldn't help but think: if someone blew up Castelia City now, the entire League might just fall into chaos.
"Ka-kaah~~"
Gengar cheerfully floated over with Yoji, both carrying drinks. Gengar handed Johan a cup.
Johan took a sip—tasted pretty good—so he took another, then another. Watching the busy stalls ahead, he muttered:
"Business is booming, huh."
Of course it was.
With people from all over the world flooding in, Castelia City was packed. Even being a megacity, it was barely enough to handle the traffic.
Sell anything here, and you'd probably make a killing.
The Unova League even expanded Castelia City a bit to accommodate the influx, building new residential areas.
Johan even spotted a few construction crews from Devon Corporation.
Sitting on the bench, Johan played with Yoji for a bit. His gaze swept across the crowd and landed on a familiar, mountain-like figure.
"Bruno of the Elite Four?"
Why was Bruno here?
He didn't qualify to compete—well, not because he wasn't strong enough, but because... well, he wasn't exactly "youthful" anymore.
Bruno stood in line, looking serious. But with all his muscle mass, people instinctively gave him space.
Then Johan saw another familiar scene.
"Y-You again, B-Bruno of the Elite Four. What'll you have, meow?" stammered a Meowth behind a food stall.
And next to Meowth... were Jessie, James, and Wobbuffet wearing a straw hat—like some kind of mascot.
Team Rocket?
They were here in Castelia City too?
"Again, huh," Bruno grinned at Meowth. "You guys still make the best Rage Buns. I'll take the usual—"
"The whole lot!"
"S-Sure! No problem, meow!"
Bruno took the bags from Meowth, popped one into his mouth, and nodded.
"Yep. Still just right."
"T-Thank you for your support!" x3
After Bruno left, the trio exhaled in unison.
Around them, customers whispered.
"That was Bruno from the Kanto Elite Four! Is he competing?"
"Maybe just sticking around to challenge someone after the matches."
"Not just him—I heard Siebold from Kalos was seen cooking himself."
Johan shook his head, took out his phone, and called Matori.
"Teacher Johan?" Matori answered, clearly surprised.
"You guys in Unova?"
"Uh, yes. We arrived a few days ago. There's some kind of celebration in PokéHollywood—we got invited."
Rocket Media Entertainment, thanks to "Meowth & Pichu" and the Pokémon TCG, had become pretty well-known.
Same went for Team Rocket.
And given the lively atmosphere in Castelia City, of course they came to make some extra cash.
"Nothing else going on?" Johan asked.
From what he knew, Rocket's most active operations outside Kanto and Johto were in Unova.
"Well... there is, but I'll explain when I get to Castelia."
"Alright."
Hanging up, Johan decided not to bother the trio.
They just wanted to earn a little more—nothing wrong with that.
As night fell, more contestants arrived in Castelia City.
Lance came with his cousin. Steven was there too. Even Leon, shockingly, wasn't late for once.
And this time, Leon wasn't alone. With him came Raihan, the Galar Gym Leader dubbed "The Weather Prince!"
Raihan wore a trendy jacket, a red bandana, and was constantly snapping photos with his phone.
Leon also found his childhood friend—Sonia—who had flown in with Steven and the others.
"Long time no see, Teacher Johan," Leon said with a smile.
"Likewise," Johan smiled back, glancing at Sonia who pouted at him. "You two met up?"
Sonia huffed, "We were about to land in Castelia when we saw a Charizard flying around... with someone riding it... sightseeing."
Classic Leon. Couldn't he just take a plane?
He knew he had no sense of direction, and still went flying around?
Leon laughed awkwardly and introduced Raihan.
"Teacher Johan," Raihan greeted with a grin, clearly familiar with the name.
"I know you. 'Weather Prince' Raihan—specialist in Dragon-types and a powerful Trainer."
In the anime, Raihan was dubbed one of the "Masters Eight"—though he lost to Ash and became the unofficial "ninth." Still, he was known as "the man closest to Leon."
Had Galar established an Elite Four, Raihan would've easily made the cut, possibly as its leader.
Johan complimented him, and Raihan responded:
"I'd really like to see that Eevee of yours. Leon said it left quite an impression."
Eevee?
Johan gave a strange look, then chuckled and waved it off.
"Well... maybe. We'll see."
Internally, he thought: Mew, Darkrai, Marshadow, Mewtwo...
If he entered those four in this tournament, they'd probably steamroll everyone.
After chatting with Leon and Raihan, Johan strolled through the park, encountering a few familiar faces—and fans.
He paused near a streetlamp and looked up.
"Gengar, time to head back."
Gengar was perched on the lamp post, red eyes glowing.
"Ka-kaah~~"
It floated down. Was I cool just now?
Back at the athlete's village, everyone's accommodations were close thanks to "connections."
Johan lived between Cynthia and Steven.
In the small courtyard separated only by a short fence, Johan was holding a "pep rally."
"This time..."
"Ka-kaah!" (We'll take first!) "Yoji!" (Going for the championship!) "Garruu!" (Crush 'em all!)
Gengar, Yoji, and Urshifu shouted the loudest. Johan bonked them each on the head.
Thump, thump, thump—
"Priority is to stay safe!" he scolded.
Huh?
The little ones tilted their heads.
"Sure, the prize money is tempting—but we're not the same as before. If you can win, great. If you can't, just walk away. It's only a few bucks anyway..."
"Bwooo~" (I think it's fifty million.)
Johan's eyes widened, "Fifty million or a few bucks—if we can't win, it's the same! The opponents this time aren't pushovers! Stay safe, got it?"
He added in his heart: Don't get hurt too badly.
Money mattered, but there were other ways to earn. Seeing his Pokémon get injured would still hurt him deeply.
"Oowoo~~"
Ninetales nodded first—ever cautious and mindful of its own safety.
The others followed, all warmed by Johan's concern.
And because of that, they wanted to help him win even more.
Next door, Cynthia was also speaking softly to her Pokémon, her golden hair shining under the lights. Hearing the conversation next door, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
Their eyes met.
"We've never battled before, have we?" she asked.
Hmm?
Johan thought about it. Yeah, they hadn't.
"Looking forward to it?" she teased.
Johan quickly shook his head and coughed, "Take it easy on me."
Not just Cynthia—he hadn't battled Lance, Steven, or Diantha either.
Yikes...
He felt a chill.
Like a lot of people were out to "get" him?
The next day.
The "Youth Masters World Championship" officially opened in Castelia City, Unova!
The blazing flame symbolized the passion of the audience and was lit by the torchbearer.
Finally, this time the flame wasn't the "useless" Moltres fire. It was said to be passed down from Unova's ancient times—the fire of Reshiram, the Truth Dragon!
Big upgrade in prestige.
"Goka..."
Ceruledge stared at the torch, clearly intrigued by Reshiram's flame.
Too bad they probably wouldn't run into Reshiram this time.
The host's voice echoed through the stadium. "Now, please welcome Mr. Acerola of the Unova Elite Four!"
Unova was hosting this year, and the main organizer was Acerola.
"Tsk. Another 'workhorse,' huh?"
Champion Alder wandered around most of the time, so Acerola—capable and responsible—was the obvious pick.
Just like Glacia in Hoenn.
Lucian overheard and shrank a little, glancing at Cynthia, Flint, Aaron, Volkner...
He felt like his life had suddenly gone dim.
He made up his mind—he'd definitely lure Teacher Johan to Sinnoh.
With Acerola's appearance, the already buzzing arena exploded in cheers.
He looked lazy, but he got everything done.
He read the rules, showed the big screen with the contestants—each one a top-tier young Trainer from around the world.
There were famous ones like Johan, Cynthia, Steven, Diantha, some lesser-known but respected names, and even a few Johan didn't recognize.
In short...
"This year's championship is... seriously deep," Johan muttered.
"Next, please welcome the Champion of Unova—Mr. Alder!!"
"Champion Alder!!"
"Champion!!"
Cheers roared as the opening ceremony reached its climax.
Every Champion was beloved in their region.
Especially this one—Alder, who had given everything for Unova.
He walked up in his signature lion's mane and robe, Poké Balls hanging at his side, and took the mic.
Staff nearby had prepped for the worst (Alder nodding off), but fortunately—
He was wide awake today.
"I hereby declare—"
His voice echoed through the stadium, carrying the aura of a true Champion.
"The 13th Youth Masters World Championship... officially begins!!"
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Powerstones?
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