(A/N: Bonus Chapter! Enjoy :)
"Good fight," John said casually, retrieving the Pokeball and recalling his "Little Sun" Arcanine, who still looked eager for more action.
Emerald, watching from the sidelines, rolled her eyes dramatically. Her boss said the exact same thing after every battle, completely oblivious to how much those two simple words could infuriate his opponents.
When Daralon heard John's comment, his face flushed crimson. He gritted his teeth, wanting nothing more than to challenge John again on the spot. But then he remembered Arcanine's overwhelming performance, and worse yet, he thought about the shiny Arcanine John supposedly kept in reserve, a Pokemon shrouded in mystery and rumor.
All the fight drained out of him like air from a punctured balloon.
Challenge him now? He didn't have a single Pokemon left that could even hope to compete. More troubling still, Daralon found himself questioning whether he should go through with the formal six-on-six championship match scheduled for next week.
While Daralon wrestled with his doubts, John was already standing on Lugia's back, turning to Christina with a simple question.
"Where's my island?"
"Please follow me," Christina replied, patting her Charizard. The fire-type immediately took flight, leading the way toward the southern mountains.
Looking up at the massive black Lugia that blocked out the sun, Daralon fell silent for a long moment. He'd known about it for years and seen it countless times in battle footage, but witnessing a legendary Pokemon in person brought an entirely different kind of pressure, one that seemed to press down on his very soul.
Unable to help himself, Daralon mentally replaced his previous battle scenario, imagining facing not the shiny Arcanine, but this Shadow Lugia instead.
His face darkened like storm clouds.
The next Masters Eight tournament... maybe I don't want to compete anymore.
The island granted to John by the World Pokemon Tournament wasn't particularly large, only about a quarter the size of Trial Island where he'd stayed during his university days. However, it came complete with a villa, back garden, dedicated training grounds, and a proper battle arena. More than sufficient for his needs.
Dense vegetation and protective barriers surrounded the island's perimeter, ensuring that even if trainers let their Pokemon roam freely, nothing could go wrong.
"If you need anything at all, please contact me immediately," Christina said with a respectful bow before departing.
"I'll take the downstairs guest room," Emerald announced, waving her phone. "If anything comes up, I'll handle it right away. Now boss, you can finally relax and play your Gameboy in peace."
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
John walked to the backyard garden and tossed a Pokeball skyward. While the floating island wasn't bad, he didn't plan on staying permanently, so he'd brought only a carefully selected team. Just Lugia and Gardevoir, plus several Pokemon from his second and third strings: Togepi, Jirachi, and a few others for companionship. He'd even left behind Hariyama, his team's dedicated chef, to look after the younger Pokemon back home.
The Pokeball burst open mid-air, silver light flashing as the garden suddenly filled with John's Pokemon.
Arcanine, Venusaur, Kubfu, Slaking, Smeargle, and Aerodactyl materialized, each immediately settling into their preferred activities. These Pokemon had been with John long enough that new environments didn't faze them in the slightest.
Aerodactyl soared to the villa's rooftop to bask in the afternoon sun, positioning itself like an ancient gargoyle statue. Slaking found the perfect spot on the grass for an immediate nap. Smeargle produced an easel from seemingly nowhere and began sketching the garden scenery. Venusaur's Vine Whip fetched a watering can and started tending to the flowers while shooing away Arcanine, whose flames were getting dangerously close to the petals. Kubfu began shadowboxing on the lawn, its movements precise and powerful despite John having no intention of evolving it yet, he was waiting for the right opportunity.
"Pokemon really are amazing," John sighed contentedly, turning toward the villa's second floor.
The upper level featured a balcony overlooking the garden, and John decided to use the connecting room as his quarters. He set up a small table on the balcony where Gardevoir served him tea and cookies, a scene that reminded him of his peaceful days back at the university's Trial Island.
This is the life.
But relaxation would have to wait. He had important work to do before he could indulge in his Gameboy.
John retrieved a notebook from his bag. Bringing his second and third string Pokemon wasn't just about giving his main team a well-deserved vacation, though they certainly earned it. His primary team already had established training regimens and could largely manage themselves.
The secondary teams were different entirely.
Whether it was Arcanine, Aerodactyl, Venusaur, or even Slaking, John had focused primarily on building their raw levels and base power. But he'd never established comprehensive tactical systems or helped them find their unique combat specializations.
This oversight stemmed mainly from their limited high-intensity battle experience. In the past, John had always relied on his main team for tough opponents, only deploying the reserves against weaker challengers who couldn't provide meaningful growth opportunities.
This time, however, John planned to use his second and third string Pokemon as the primary fighting force. He wanted to explore each Pokemon's individual limits, then develop extended tactical training based on their natural characteristics and preferences.
The battle against Daralon had been illuminating.
Arcanine performed incredibly, but it also exposed several critical weaknesses. While Arcanine could overwhelm Daralon mainly due to the challenger's relative inexperience, against stronger opponents, the Intimidate ability alone wouldn't carry the day.
More concerning, Arcanine's offensive arsenal relied heavily on Flare Blitz, a powerful move, certainly, but limited in scope. From most trainers' perspectives, that might suffice. In John's team, however, standards were considerably higher.
He had Greninja's Aura Sphere technique and Garchomp's devastating Precipice Blades combinations. To earn a spot on John's main roster, a Pokemon needed to sublimate at least one skill beyond ordinary limits, not just capable of beating weaker opponents, but able to punch above their weight class in truly intense battles.
Therefore, developing Arcanine's signature ultimate technique had become a top priority. As for which moves to build upon, that required careful consideration.
Beyond limited offensive power, Arcanine faced another significant problem: a narrow movepool diversity. In terms of type coverage, Arcanine's arsenal included mostly fire-type attacks, with only four moves of other types: the fighting-type Reversal, normal-type Extreme Speed, dark-type Crunch, and fairy-type Play Rough.
John recalled that Arcanine should be capable of learning many more techniques: the grass-type ultimate Solar Beam, the devastating normal-type Hyper Beam, and the electric-type Wild Charge, among others.
After mulling it over, John quietly pulled out his Gameboy. Those move TMs weren't particularly rare items for someone already on his second playthrough of life.