Pokemon: Psychic Master

Rustboro Pokémon Academy, being the largest Pokémon academy in the Hoenn region, naturally offered a rich and diverse curriculum. In addition to frequent wilderness expeditions for the battle classes, there were also annual spring and autumn outings.

These outings were not only meant to enrich the students' extracurricular activities but also to enhance their practical battle skills.

The ongoing debate between the "Academy" and "Traveler" styles of Pokémon training was one of the major issues plaguing the Pokémon League.

The "Academy" faction looked down on the "Traveler" faction, considering them a bunch of "reckless brutes." Academy students believed that embarking on a journey with little to no theoretical knowledge was the main reason behind the high death rate among rookie Trainers.

On the other hand, the "Traveler" faction held the "Academy" students in low regard, thinking they were full of book smarts but lacked the practical experience needed to survive. Sure, they could win battles in official matches, but if they encountered danger in the wild, they would be clueless about how to handle it.

The Academy's wilderness expeditions and spring/autumn outings were designed to address this gap.

Ordinarily, these outings didn't concern Johan all that much.

But this time, he found himself on the list of teachers accompanying the autumn outing.

More troubling, however, was the fact that he had been assigned to accompany the first-year Battle Class.

Of course, he wasn't the only teacher assigned. The primary responsibility lay with a Battle Class instructor named Duff, and in addition to Johan, there were two other teachers on the trip.

The issue, though, lay in who those other two teachers were.

One was Saiko, a Breeder Class instructor who Johan got along with fairly well.

But the other... was Shelly, the Oceanic Air Currents instructor!

Though it was still unclear whether Shelly had already joined Team Aqua, or if she had but was simply lying low because of Team Aqua's dormant state, just seeing her name was a constant reminder to Johan—Hoenn would not be peaceful in the future, and neither would the entire Pokémon League.

All Johan had ever wanted was to quietly live his life as a teacher, maybe earn a researcher's or professor's title if he got lucky, catch a few more Pokémon, and just be an ordinary Trainer. But fate seemed to have other plans.

It was one thing if he didn't know what was going to happen.

The problem was, he knew all too well.

Soon, Hoenn would be thrown into chaos by Team Aqua and Team Magma.

The legendary ancient Pokémon would awaken.

When that time came, being just an ordinary person or even a regular Trainer would mean his safety would be completely out of his own hands.

Sure, Steven would eventually rise to become Hoenn's Champion, protecting the region.

But was he really supposed to bet everything on Steven holding off both Kyogre and Groudon for 22 straight days?

Twenty-two days!

In the long term, there was the impending disaster from Team Aqua and Team Magma. In the short term, the remnants of Greater Mauville Holdings wouldn't be sitting quietly either.

And even if he wanted to flee to another region, where would he go?

Not to mention he would lose his job, but the crises awaiting other regions weren't any less troubling than what was looming over Hoenn.

The bottom line was:

If he wanted to protect himself, he needed strength.

"Sigh—"

Johan let out a deep sigh.

The sense of tension that had momentarily eased after outwitting Dock and the remnants of Greater Mauville Holdings returned in full force.

"Ka-kah?"

Gastly floated over to Johan, noticing his troubled expression.

Isn't an autumn outing supposed to be fun? We get to go to hot springs, so why does he look so worried after seeing that paper?

"Come on, time for training," Johan said, taking a large gulp of coffee to shake off his unease. "Yesterday, your timing with Will-O-Wisp was still off."

"Ka-kah—"

Gastly drifted into Johan's coat, surprisingly without any protest against the idea of more training today.

In the afternoon, after a simple lunch at the academy's cafeteria, Johan returned to the consultation room with Gastly, intending to take a nap before starting the afternoon's training session.

Pokémon weren't machines or tools. Overtraining could have adverse effects, and Johan was smart enough to know that proper rest was just as important as hard work.

"Ka-kah~~"

Since Johan needed his computer, Gastly cheekily asked to use his phone instead. It eagerly scrolled through the screen with its tongue, planning to finish watching the Adventures of Gengar that it had started earlier.

Kalos Photo Collection? Nope. Cynthia Swimsuit Show? Nope.

Huh? How did all these strange video recommendations show up after just a few days?

What garbage websites!

Spit!

Meanwhile, Johan leaned his head on one hand while moving the computer mouse with the other, browsing the requirements to become a registered Trainer with the Pokémon League.

"An explosion occurred on an unnamed island in the Kanto region's seas. No casualties reported, and the cause is under investigation…"

"Unova announces plans to build the 'Royal Unova,' set to be the largest luxury cruise liner…"

After skimming through some news headlines, Johan clicked into the section for Trainer qualifications.

The Pokémon League's requirements for registration weren't exactly strict.

If you had a recommendation from someone with sufficient standing in the League, you could register directly. If you needed an initial Pokémon, you'd have to pay a hefty fee, a route more suited for Trainers with some backing.

But for those from more ordinary backgrounds, it wasn't as easy.

They had to pay a significant fee and pass several difficult assessments, which included a written exam, battle tests, and even a psychological evaluation.

The fee alone was steep, and if you failed the assessment, there were no refunds.

This system prevented many impulsive would-be Trainers from making rash decisions and reduced the workload for the Pokémon Association.

Ding!

Just as Johan was browsing, his long-quiet chat window blinked to life.

Opening it, he saw that it was, as he expected, from the user "Who am I."

After all this time without any contact, Johan had thought he had successfully "brushed off" the user during their last conversation. It was surprising to see them online again.

This time, though, the first message they sent completely stumped Johan.

"Who am I?"

Johan glanced at the username and felt his eye twitch.

Shouldn't you be the one to answer that?

Before he could type a response, another message popped up.

"Who am I, really?!"

Was this… an existential crisis?

Johan paused, his hands hovering over the keyboard. He decided to wait and see.

Given the user's current state of mind, it seemed like they would explain further without needing prompting.

Sure enough, Johan's patience paid off.

"Who is it? Why does it keep appearing in my mind? What is the connection between us?"

It?

Johan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Could this be… dissociative identity disorder?

His interest was piqued. Pokémon with multiple personalities were exceedingly rare—this would be his first time encountering such a case.

After a moment of silence, during which the user didn't send any more messages, Johan finally began typing.

"First, I need to know what kind of Pokémon you are. Second, if possible, please describe what you 'see' when you think of 'it.'"

He hit enter and leaned back, his eyes glinting with curiosity.

This time, the response took much longer than usual. But Johan wasn't impatient. He waited quietly, giving the other person time.

Ding—

When the next message finally came, Johan's calm composure shattered.

He shot up from his chair with a start, eyes wide.

On his screen, a single sentence stared back at him:

"They call me... Mewtwo."

Sssssss—