Pokemon: Spiritual Master

That's it?

Johan was surprised by how smoothly things had gone.

Leaving Bell Tower with the sacred wood in hand, he couldn't help but feel like the elder monk might have laid some kind of trap.

But as it turned out, Johan was simply overthinking.

Initially, he had expected to spend three or four days in Ecruteak City. Instead, everything was resolved in just two days.

"Should I... stop by Mahogany Town?"

Professor Oak had asked Johan during the Indigo League to check in on Pryce and see if he could offer any help.

Johan hadn't forgotten, but he hadn't had the chance to visit Johto until now. With Mahogany Town just east of Ecruteak City and accessible by maglev train, it seemed like a good time.

Having made up his mind, Johan expressed his gratitude to Morty once again before leaving.

Morty was polite enough to personally escort them to the station.

Johto Region, Mahogany Town.

Mahogany Town was a quaint, tranquil settlement. Its population was small, and the slow pace of life made it quite comfortable.

Were it not for Pryce's Mahogany Gym and the Lake of Rage, this town might not have drawn much attention at all.

With Team Rocket having vacated the lake and the infamous red Gyarados captured by Lance, Mahogany Town had recently regained some vitality.

"So this is Mahogany Town," Johan remarked as he and his Pokémon stepped out of the maglev station.

He couldn't help but think about Pryce's situation.

It was a complicated matter.

For starters, Johan couldn't be certain whether this world's Pryce mirrored his animated counterpart, who had shut himself off emotionally after losing his Piloswine.

Or if Pryce's trauma was instead related to the death of his Lapras.

One thing was clear: this Pryce likely wasn't the "Masked Man" from the Pokémon Adventures manga.

Or rather, this world probably didn't have a character as ridiculously overpowered as the Masked Man.

"Just showing up and offering to 'help' would probably get me turned away," Johan mused, pulling out his phone.

He decided to call Professor Oak for more information, at least to determine whether Pryce's change in personality was due to Piloswine or Lapras.

"Hello, Johan!"

Professor Oak's cheerful voice came through the phone.

"Professor Oak, I'm in Mahogany Town right now."

"Mahogany Town? Are you planning to challenge Pryce's gym?"

"Didn't you ask me to check on Pryce when I had the chance?"

"I did? Oh..."

"..."

"Oh, right! Yes, I think I did!"

Johan: ...

"Ahahaha! Sorry, I've been swamped with work at the lab, so I forgot!"

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Johan asked for more details about Pryce's situation.

Unfortunately, Professor Oak's response was less than helpful.

"I don't know much, actually. After I gave up being a Trainer to focus on research, Pryce and I didn't talk for a long time. By the time I saw him again, he was already like that."

As expected, Professor Oak wasn't exactly reliable.

Hanging up, Johan briefly considered calling Karen of the Elite Four for insight.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

"One headache at a time. Getting two of them involved at once would be a duet of ice and ghosts."

"Ka-kaah?"

"Oowoo?"

Gengar and Ice Ninetales both turned to him quizzically.

Johan sighed. "I wasn't talking about you two."

Without wasting more time, he made his way toward the Mahogany Gym.

When Johan arrived at the gym, he found the doors shut and a sign hanging on them that read:

"Gym Leader is out. Gym temporarily closed."

"Tch." Johan clicked his tongue. "Classic Pryce. Shuts down the gym whenever he feels like it."

While other gym leaders worried about meeting "performance" requirements and passing League evaluations, Pryce seemed entirely unconcerned.

If the League threatened to fire him, Pryce's likely response would be: Fine. Fire me.

The man hadn't even wanted to be an Elite Four member, let alone a mere gym leader.

"Ka-kaah?"

What now? Gengar gestured.

Johan adjusted his glasses. "Nothing to do. Either it's bad luck for us or bad timing for Pryce. Fate is fate."

Gengar rolled its eyes. And you call me dramatic? You just left Bell Tower and started talking like this.

"Ka-kaah."

What a waste of time.

"It's not a waste," Johan replied, shaking his head. "Let's go have a picnic by the Lake of Rage."

A picnic? Gengar and Ice Ninetales instantly perked up.

Picnic time!

The Lake of Rage.

Situated north of Mahogany Town, the Lake of Rage wasn't far. Johan and his Pokémon took their time enjoying the scenery as they strolled toward the lake.

When they arrived, the view was breathtaking.

"Ka-kaah~~"

What a massive lake! Gengar exclaimed.

The clear sky reflected on the shimmering water. The gentle rustling of trees in the wind and the occasional splash of a Magikarp leaping from the lake created a serene atmosphere.

The Lake of Rage was Johto's largest freshwater lake, teeming with resources—primarily Magikarp.

Legend had it that the lake was once a volcanic crater. After the volcano went dormant, a group of Gyarados brought torrential rain, turning the crater into a lake where they eventually settled.

Fishermen working on the lake needed to tread carefully. Provoking an angry Gyarados—or worse, a group of them—was no joke.

Johan found a shaded patch of grass near the lake, perfect for their picnic.

He spread out a picnic blanket and released all his Pokémon.

"Ku~!"

Kubfu took a deep breath.

Nature... it's so vast!

"Ka-kaah~!" Gengar stretched theatrically.

The Lake of Rage... it's all water!

Johan: "..."

You two are a perfect pair.

"Draaa~~"

The happiest of the bunch was Dragonair, who immediately dove into the water and swam gleefully.

Gengar, not wanting to be left out, donned its goggles, took a deep breath, and leapt in with a splash.

It began swimming in a flamboyant display—backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly stroke.

On the shore, Johan chuckled while watching Gengar, then turned to his other Pokémon.

"Charcadet, heat some water for me."

"Goka~!"

"Ninetales, chill the milk."

"Oowoo~!"

Nearby, Tinkaton sat quietly with a scroll in hand, while Kubfu dozed off after a few punches.

The soft warmth of the winter sun was truly relaxing.

Johan prepped snacks and desserts, placing seven energy cubes on the picnic blanket. He then made himself a cup of coffee, settling into his folding chair to bask in the sun.

This is the life, Johan thought as he lazily sipped his coffee, admiring the distant mountain range that stretched across the horizon.

In his mind, this was how Trainers and Pokémon should live: eating, lounging, and eating again.

"Someday, when I don't have to worry about money anymore, I'll pull a Master Roshi—buy an island, find a nice lady, and live quietly."

After some time, Johan noticed something amiss.

"Where's Gengar?"

He scanned the lake and realized the mischievous ghost was nowhere to be seen.

Johan wasn't worried about Gengar's safety. The cheeky Pokémon was smart enough to run if things got dangerous.

What concerned Johan were the wild Pokémon of the lake.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Charcadet pointed toward the shoreline.

There, a soaked Gengar waddled out of the water, happily removing its goggles.

Beside it stood a plump, pale-blue Pokémon with tiny eyes and a blank expression that rivaled a Slowpoke's.

It was a Quagsire.

"Quagsire, the Water Fish Pokémon. A Water- and Ground-type, known for its easygoing and carefree nature, Rotom!"

Rotom Dex snapped a picture, though Quagsire's shadow didn't appear in the photo.

Johan raised an eyebrow. "What's with the Quagsire?"

"Woopa~ (O.)"

Quagsire waved at Johan and his Pokémon.

Johan hesitated for a moment before inviting it over.

"Why not? Join us for lunch. I made plenty."

"Ka-kaah~~" Gengar guided the clumsy Quagsire to the picnic area.

The other Pokémon were initially curious but quickly warmed up to their new guest, happily sharing food and energy cubes.

"Woopa~! (▽.)"

Quagsire's face lit up as it savored the curry.

"Eat as much as you like," Johan said with a smile. "There's more if you're still hungry."

Blushing slightly, Quagsire nodded and continued eating, clearly enjoying itself.

As the group dined, a calm yet icy voice interrupted them.

"So this is where you've wandered off to."

Johan turned to see an elderly man in a wheelchair, pushed by a Jynx.

The man had white hair, a scarf around his neck, and a stern expression.

It was none other than Pryce, the Mahogany Gym Leader!

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Powerstones?

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