Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 448: Back on Track? (BONUS)

Silver!

Giovanni's son.

The timestamp on the photo was from a few days ago, during which Johan had his communication turned off, so he didn't receive it immediately.

Since they weren't sure if the person in the photo was Johan's target, the International Police didn't want to overreact. Instead, they simply took the picture and sent it over without making a direct call.

"Can you find out where this photo was taken?"

Johan handed the laptop back to Briar and asked.

"Give me a second." Briar murmured, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

In less than three seconds, she had the answer: "Ecruteak City, Pokémon Center."

Ecruteak City?

So Silver was still in the Johto region.

The photo was from a few days ago, but it was unlikely that Silver had already left Johto.

The only question was whether he was still in Ecruteak City or if he had moved to another city.

"Can you find him?" Johan asked again.

"...It's a bit difficult." Briar didn't make any guarantees.

After all, while the Pokémon world had advanced technology, the wild was still vast and unpredictable. The League couldn't possibly install surveillance cameras in the middle of nowhere.

However, after a brief pause, she added, "Give me a few days. If he appears in a town, I should be able to track him."

Now that's what you call a top-tier hacker!

"Thanks."

Briar shook her head slightly.

After this brief interaction, she found herself quite comfortable around Johan.

There was no pressure, he was polite and easy to talk to, and he didn't fit the rigid image she had of a teacher.

Especially... Johan's Pokémon gave her a familiar feeling, similar to being around her Eevee team. It was... comforting.

"Oowoo~~"

Ninetales curled its tail around a macaron and held it out to Briar.

Seeing Ninetales acting so naturally, Briar gave a shy smile. "Thank you..."

She took the macaron with one hand and continued typing with the other.

"I'm going to make a call."

"Okay."

Johan walked out of the office and dialed a number.

"Johan-sensei?"

Matori's voice came through the phone.

"How's it going, Matori?"

"Are you talking about Tobias and Darkrai? They... would be perfect for television!" Matori exclaimed.

After the Lily of the Valley Conference, Johan had pitched an idea to Tobias to help promote Pokémon Trading Cards—by making a show!

In Johan's original world, franchises like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Cardcaptor Sakura boosted their card game sales through anime adaptations.

So, the best way to promote Pokémon cards was to create a popular TV series.

With this angle, Tobias's Pokémon card company partnered with Team Rocket Entertainment.

As for the script... Johan had it covered. After all, there was a simple solution—copy.

Tobias? Yeah, he was definitely a trading card guy.

If Yu-Gi-Oh! had Yugi Muto and the Pharaoh, they had Tobias and Darkrai.

If Yu-Gi-Oh! had Blue-Eyes White Dragon, they had Hydreigon.

"That sounds good," Johan nodded.

"However..."

"Hm?"

"Because of all the post-production and special effects involved, the episodes might take a while to release," Matori said.

Special effects?

Johan glanced back at the office.

"Send me an unfinished episode. I'll find someone to take a look."

This was Briar's time to shine again—actually, more like another opportunity for her to develop her skills.

"Got it."

Matori had no objections.

"Oh, by the way, do you have any connections in Johto?" Johan asked.

"Johto? We're filming in Johto right now," Matori replied before adding, "Yeah, I know people. Why? Do you need something handled?"

Handled?

That wording...

But Matori's response gave Johan an idea.

If they really found Silver in Johto, it was best to keep him away from Team Rocket for now.

If Silver formed a negative impression of Team Rocket too soon, it could lead to unnecessary conflict when he and Giovanni finally met.

Team Rocket was changing—and Silver played a part in that.

And Team Rocket's transformation was beneficial for the entire Pokémon world. It shouldn't be disrupted just because of Silver's personal feelings.

"No, nothing urgent. I was just asking in case I need some help in Johto later."

"Don't worry!" Matori replied confidently. "The people I know in Johto have quite a bit of influence."

Of course.

The four Team Rocket Generals...

In the Pokémon Adventures manga, after Giovanni's disappearance, these guys went completely off the rails and even summoned Arceus.

After hanging up the call—

"...Looks like I might have to go myself," Johan muttered.

"Well, as long as I can confirm Silver is safe, there's no rush."

Giovanni probably wanted to find Silver, but he also likely understood that it wasn't time for a reunion yet.

Back in the office, Johan asked Briar if she could do special effects.

Briar responded confidently, "If it's related to computers, I can do a little of everything."

And just like that—

Johan saved a huge chunk of his budget.

Over the next few days, everything seemed to return to normal.

Apart from checking in at the school, occasionally teaching a class, and handling both online and real-world Pokémon psychology cases, Johan spent most of his time training and playing with his Pokémon.

On February 14th, Wednesday afternoon—

Smack—

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Johan closed his book with a smile, looking at the packed lecture hall in front of him.

He was smiling on the outside, but internally, he was cursing.

Last semester, his class was in a small classroom.

This semester? Bam—straight into the biggest lecture hall, filled to the brim.

Luckily, his lessons weren't affected by class size.

Whether it was twenty students or 150, the content was the same.

The only difference?

Instead of twenty students struggling to stay awake, now there were over a hundred.

Except for Steven, Roxanne, Sonia, and Briar, most students looked exhausted.

But no one dared to sleep.

Veteran students came prepared with water, tea, and coffee.

First-timers? Too bad for them.

By the end of class, over twenty students woke up screaming from nightmares, drenched in cold sweat.

Except for Flannery.

She blended in perfectly with the newcomers.

To be honest...

Johan's class was torture.

Pokémon psychology was a theoretical subject, making it inherently dull.

So his lectures were a mix of hypnosis and nightmares—so boring that students felt sleepy, but too scared to actually fall asleep.

Pure torture.

Yet, students still flocked to his class.

Johan checked the time and leaned against the podium.

"Well, since we have some time left, let's do our usual Q&A."

Here we go!

The students perked up instantly, hands shooting into the air.

This was Gengar's favorite part.

"Ka-kaah~ (｀)σ"

It pointed at a student.

"Professor Johan, is it true that you punched Dialga and Palkia into pieces?"

"Pass."

"Professor Johan, I heard a rumor that you not only destroyed the Time-Space Dragons but also took down Regigigas?"

"Pass."

"Professor Johan, is it true that you recently defeated the Galar Champion, Peony?"

Johan: "..."

Hands on his hips, he rubbed his forehead.

"You guys shouldn't be studying Pokémon psychology."

The students looked confused.

"You should be studying journalism."

"You hear all these rumors—what a waste of talent if you don't become reporters."

Laughter erupted.

And so, the lesson continued—business as usual.

Back in the office, Johan noticed his Pokémon gathered around the table, listening to the radio?

And the broadcast was...

Goldenrod City Radio Tower, Professor Oak's Pokémon Lecture.

From the Rotom radio came the familiar voice of Professor Oak.

"That concludes today's Pokémon Lecture. Thank you all for tuning in. Allow me to end with a haiku."

"Forty years have passed,

Time flows just like Bulbasaur—

(Truly mysterious!)."

"Everyone, go out and catch Pokémon!"

"Thank you for listening," another voice chimed in, belonging to the sweet-voiced host, Walnut.

Walnut was a well-known host at Goldenrod Radio Tower and reportedly good friends with the city's Gym Leader.

In the future, Ethan would become one of Walnut's biggest fans.

Johan raised an eyebrow. "Where did this radio come from?"

"It was in a pile of junk in the storage cabinet, Rotom!" Rotom popped out, and the radio fell silent.

Johan nodded, not giving it much thought.

However, Professor Oak's haiku did pique his interest.

"Forty years, huh..."

Just then—

"Professor."

Briar suddenly appeared at the doorway, clutching her laptop.

"Hm?"

"I... I found him."

Him.

Silver?

Johan's expression shifted slightly.

"Where?"

"I sent the details to your phone."

Johan immediately checked his phone—and sure enough, there was an image of Silver. The timestamp was three minutes ago.

Location: Johto, Olivine City.

"Weavile, Metal Claw!"

BAM!

In a remote forest, there stood an old wooden house.

Outside, numerous cages of varying sizes were stacked haphazardly.

Inside, a fierce battle was taking place.

At last—

A man, well past his fifties with graying hair and a mechanical eye, was cornered against the wall, stumbling to the ground.

Weavile's sharp claws were mere centimeters from his throat.

The Pokémon wore a cold, disdainful expression, as if looking down on the old man.

Standing beside Weavile was a towering, broad-shouldered man clad in a red vest, a golden mask covering his face.

Underneath the vest, faintly visible, was a blazing red "R."

"Cough... Cough..."

The old man, eyes filled with terror, struggled to speak.

"Team Rocket! I-I haven't worked as a Pokémon hunter in years!"

Lately, for some unknown reason, Team Rocket had been aggressively cracking down on Pokémon poaching rings across Kanto and Johto.

The old man had been relieved, thinking his retirement kept him safe—yet Team Rocket had still come knocking on his door.

And this man... was strong.

The masked man scoffed and crouched down, lightly tapping the old man's cheek.

"You think retiring makes you innocent?"

"Then... What do you want from me!?"

"It's simple." The man smirked. "Forty years ago, in a certain forest, you let a Pokémon escape. Tell me where that forest is, and we're done here."

Forty years ago?

The old man's pupils contracted sharply—he suddenly remembered something.

And in that moment, his terror doubled.

"Looks like you remember."

BOOM!!

A sudden explosion erupted outside.

"There's... There's an intruder!!"

Amidst the chaos, a Rocket grunt's panicked voice rang out.

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Powerstones?

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