Pokemon: Psychic Master

"Maya, I'm telling you, it's about time we wrapped this up," growled a burly man, fiddling with the knife in his hand, his voice low and rough.

"Calm down, Stahl," replied the woman across from him, sitting on a crate. Dressed in tight red leather that accentuated her curves, she applied lipstick with a handheld mirror, speaking nonchalantly.

"Unexpectedly, another person showed up, but letting him help drain the remaining energy from Zapdos works in our favor," Maya said lightly.

From Cerulean City to this abandoned power plant, they had deliberately spread rumors of a mysterious and powerful Pokémon to lure in unsuspecting trainers.

These trainers had, one after another, unwittingly helped wear down Zapdos' strength, even if their individual efforts barely made a dent.

But when it came to numbers? That was another story entirely.

And now, they had laid their trap at the power plant.

"We're at the final stretch," Stahl huffed. "Just don't let anyone ruin it at the last moment."

Maya chuckled. "It's Zapdos we're dealing with. Unless Lt. Surge himself shows up, who could possibly recharge it in time?"

Stahl tucked his knife into his boot. "Our buyer is paying handsomely for this. I just don't want any surprises at the last second."

Hearing this, Maya's expression turned serious as well. "Don't worry. Everything's under control."

She pulled out a specialized device, revealing live footage of the battle outside. Johan was facing off against Zapdos.

"Interesting," Maya muttered, watching intently. "This guy is stronger than I thought."

"If Zapdos weren't on our side, he'd be a pain to deal with," Stahl growled.

"True, but trainers from the Pokémon League rarely think about their own safety," Maya quipped with a smirk.

Stahl chuckled grimly.

But then, the screen suddenly turned white—snow now obscured their view.

"What? This snowstorm…"

Outside, Johan and his team moved decisively.

"Zapdos, Charge!" Johan commanded.

"Draaa!"

Dragonair unleashed a powerful Thunder, the lightning bolt striking Zapdos with pinpoint accuracy.

"Ka-kah! Ka-kah!"

Gengar cackled as it launched a flurry of Thunder Punches at the legendary bird, its fists crackling with electricity.

From Johan's perspective, the relentless punches gave Gengar a definite "Ora Ora Ora" vibe.

"Cut it out, Gengar! Use Nasty Plot, then Thunderbolt!"

"Ka-kah!"

Gengar reluctantly stopped its playful barrage, tapping into its cunning before releasing a surge of electric energy.

"Ku~!"

Kubfu had been observing Gengar's punches with rapt attention and decided to join in.

Despite having never learned the move before, Kubfu's natural talent allowed it to imitate Thunder Punch with remarkable accuracy.

This was Kubfu's strength—it had mastered advanced combat techniques like single-strike and rapid-strike styles before even learning basic moves.

Meanwhile, Johan fed Zapdos an entire batch of golden energy cubes made from the coveted Sitrus Berries, designed to restore electric energy and boost Electric-type moves.

Throwing in a few Revive Shards and Energy Roots for good measure, Johan spared no expense.

The result?

Zapdos, while not at full power, had gone from "critical" condition to "poor" condition, a significant improvement.

Its affinity toward Johan also rose from 10 to 30.

"Skreeee—!"

Zapdos flapped its wings, lifting off the ground. It was no longer consumed by blind rage. Instead, it turned to Johan, seeking guidance.

"Has Johan captured Zapdos?" Ren murmured, awestruck.

"When you treat every Pokémon sincerely, they'll always respond," Professor Cerise said with a smile.

Captured? Not quite.

But Johan had undoubtedly earned Zapdos' trust.

"Now then," Johan said with a grin, "let's flush them out."

"Zapdos, Thunder!"

"Skreeee!!"

Zapdos, its anger now properly directed, unleashed a colossal bolt of lightning that tore through the abandoned power plant, creating a massive hole in its walls.

"Dammit!"

The explosion was quickly followed by a furious roar.

"Stone Edge!"

The ground erupted as sharp stone spikes destroyed more of the plant's walls, and two figures emerged.

It was the Pokémon hunters, Stahl and Maya.

They had already suspected something was amiss when their cameras were obscured by snow. They had been preparing to leave—but not fast enough.

The arrival of a snowstorm had ruined their plans to use sandstorm tactics with Tyranitar.

"Let's end this," Maya hissed. "Crobat, Cross Poison, followed by X-Scissor!"

The agile Crobat zipped toward Johan at lightning speed, its wings glowing with toxic purple energy.

"Sandshrew, Crush Claw!" Stahl barked.

Without the sandstorm to boost its speed, Sandshrew wasn't as fast as Crobat, but it still charged toward Johan with sharp claws extended.

Both trainers targeted Johan directly, banking on the League's trainers being unprepared for direct combat.

"Sandstorm team, huh?" Johan muttered, unfazed. "Too bad your weather game's already lost."

Ninetales stepped forward, its presence ensuring the blizzard stayed in full force.

Both hunters underestimated Johan's team.

Crobat was intercepted by Gengar, whose mischievous grin and massive Shadow Ball left it stunned.

"Ka-kah~"

Gengar waved mockingly at the paralyzed Crobat.

"See ya!"

Boom!

Crobat was sent crashing to the ground.

Meanwhile, Sandshrew charged forward, claws gleaming—but stopped abruptly, unable to get through the Aurora Veil Ninetales had set up.

"Ice Beam," Johan said calmly.

"Oowoo!"

Ninetales unleashed a brilliant beam of ice, freezing Sandshrew solid.

The hunters quickly realized they had been baited. Johan had deliberately left himself open, luring them into a trap.

Their other Pokémon—Tyranitar, Houndoom, Seviper—were all swiftly taken down by Zapdos, Tinkaton, and Dragonair working in tandem.

"Wait… was he using himself as bait this whole time?!"

Stahl and Maya's faces turned pale as realization dawned.

Then their instincts screamed danger.

They turned, only to find Kubfu standing behind them, its expression grim.

"Ku~!"

"Strike the leaders first!"

Two swift punches later, the hunters were incapacitated.

"Zapdos, finish it with Thunderbolt!" Johan commanded.

"Skreeee!"

Zapdos unleashed one last powerful surge of electricity, sealing the battle's outcome.

Ren could only mutter, "Johan's on a whole different level."

"Zapdos is strong," Professor Cerise mused, "but Johan's coordination with his team is on par with it—if not better."

Amid the aftermath, Gengar noticed a floating phone-like device nearby.

"Ka-kah?"

Gengar leaned in curiously.

"Rotom Phone?"

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Powerstones?

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