Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 509: The Island Not Found on Any Map

"Yoji~~" Another boat ride~~

Yoji the Larvitar sat on a deck chair, watching the passing scenery on both sides, swinging its little legs.

The tune from "Roaring Dragon, Oowoo~ Little Windmill, Big West Jiji, Aba Aba" popped into Johan's head.

He shook his head, trying to purge the earworm from his brain.

"Rotom, where do we go from here?" Johan asked.

"Roto!"

Rotom-Dex stopped taking photos and pulled up the navigation screen.

"Calculating optimal route, Roto..."

Route lines began flashing across the digital map—if one didn't work, another replaced it.

"Turn left after 10 kilometers, Roto!"

"Huh?"

Johan frowned at the path on the map. "There's no road there. If we turn left, it's straight into the sea."

"Yes, Roto!" Rotom replied with certainty. "The coordinates are in the sea, Roto."

"In the sea?"

There's internet in the sea?

Though confused, Johan figured they might as well check it out. If the coordinates were wrong, they could ask Porygon-Z what the deal was.

Once they reached the indicated point, Johan retrieved the Rotom Bike from Gengar's mouth. Rotom entered the bike's system.

To the astonishment of nearby tourists, Johan launched himself off the deck with the bike.

"Is that guy nuts? He just jumped into the sea!"

"On a bike?!"

"Maybe he's had a mental breakdown?"

Just as some tourists were about to call for help or report to Officer Jenny...

"Look!"

A sheet of ice spread across the sea surface. Johan's bike rolled smoothly along it, heading east. Gengar floated behind him, while a graceful Ice-type Ninetales glided beside him.

"You can do that with Ice-types?"

"That's... actually really cool."

"I need to catch an Ice-type now!"

But it wasn't so simple. Not every Ice-type could freeze the sea fast enough to support a speeding bike, especially for long stretches.

"How long do we have to ride, Rotom?"

"Thirty kilometers, Roto!"

"..."

Good thing it's a Rotom Bike, or this would be a serious workout.

"Turbo boost, Rotom!"

"Roger that, Roto!"

Zzzzt—

Electric sparks flared, and the bike shot forward without Johan pedaling.

That turbine engine glowed gold... and a thought popped into Johan's mind:

Zekrom, the Dragon of Ideals, also had a turbine. If combined with Rotom...

Would that become the transforming robot Rotom dreamed of?

"R-Roto..."

Rotom shuddered as if it sensed an ominous gaze.

With the boost engaged, the island came into view ahead.

"Wait a second..."

Johan blinked.

That spot on Rotom's updated League map was supposed to be open sea. So why was there an island?

Could it be the League hadn't discovered it?

As they neared the lush island, the sea suddenly churned, and aggressive-looking fish Pokémon surged into view—

Bruxish. At least thirty to forty of them!

These were red-striped Bruxish—brutal, vicious, and territorial. Only tough Pokémon like Carvanha or Crawdaunt could survive in their waters.

Unlike the red and blue-striped ones, white-striped Bruxish—now nearly extinct—were gentler and could evolve into Dragalisk. The others could not.

The red-striped ones swarmed toward Johan, enraged by his intrusion.

Johan remained calm.

"Ninetales."

"Oowoo~~"

With a graceful flourish of her tails, Ninetales released a soft breath of cold air.

In seconds, half the sea froze over. Even the water-dwellers couldn't escape—

Freeze-Dry!

Super-effective against Water-types.

Crack, crack-crack—

But the ice began to splinter. One by one, the Bruxish broke free.

Johan and Ninetales were both surprised.

Ninetales was no joke—her "Eternal Ice Wall" and Four Heavenly Kings-tier strength made her a terror on the field. No wild Pokémon should've broken free.

There were only two explanations:

These Bruxish were unusually strong.

They had resistance to Ice-type moves.

...Or both.

Which meant two things:

Either there was some rare resource beneath the island boosting wild Pokémon levels...

Or someone deliberately raised these Bruxish to guard the island.

Given the numbers, the latter seemed more likely.

"Rotom!" Johan called out. "Discharge!"

Zzzzz—!

Lightning burst across the sea, electrocuting the area.

If they weren't in the Bruxish's waters, this would've been considered unethical. But here? No problem.

Despite Rotom's dislike of battling, under Johan's tough-love training, powered by top-tier Pokéblocks and a special Raikou Thunderstone...

Rotom was cracked.

"Ninetales, Freeze-Dry again."

With the fish half-cooked, Ninetales froze the sea once more.

This time, the Bruxish couldn't break free.

If they could still jump out, Johan might consider bringing them home for... ahem... study.

"Ka-kaah~!"

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Gengar called out from ahead.

More were coming—a school of blue-striped Bruxish.

This confirmed it: someone had released them here on purpose.

"Landfall!"

Johan declared, heading toward the island.

—

Beneath the thick forest lay a hidden facility, mostly underground.

At its deepest point...

A tall, slender researcher in a white lab coat, glasses gleaming, worked intently at a tablet filled with complex data.

It was none other than Colress—the "Mad Scientist" of Team Plasma.

"A Pokémon that can pass data through firewalls into my lab... how fascinating."

He crossed his legs, intrigued by the trace data left behind.

What kind of Pokémon could move through the network like that?

He had to find out.

Just then, a Team Plasma grunt burst in.

"Lord Colress! Intruder alert!"

"Oh?" Colress didn't seem upset—in fact, he looked excited.

Right after a data breach, and now an intruder?

Coincidence? Not likely.

"Out by the island's edge, the Bruxish became aggressive, and our surveillance devices were fried by electricity. It looks like the intruder came prepared!"

"Hmm..."

Colress stroked his chin, then raised a finger with a sudden idea.

"Perfect. Let's test my latest experiment."

The grunt trembled.

"Y-You mean... use that?"

"Hmm?"

Colress turned, smiling innocently. "Did you say something?"

"N-No, sir! I'll take care of it right away!"

"Good."

Colress waved him off.

He was always so pleasant. Why did everyone fear him?

Perhaps... fear of the unknown?

"Oh, one more thing." He added, "Bring the intruder alive. I want to meet him."

If the intruder had a link to that mysterious data-traveling Pokémon, it was worth investigating.

As the grunt rushed off, Colress returned to his tablet, hunting for more digital traces.

He had no idea...

That the Pokémon in question was far beyond his league.

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Powerstones?

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