Stealing electricity?
Johan looked at Professor Sycamore, who also looked puzzled.
That didn't make sense. If there were Pokémon stealing electricity, wouldn't the many Electric-type Pokémon generating power in the laboratory have noticed?
Moreover... could stealing electricity really cause power shortages in a city as large as Lumiose?
After all, Lumiose City was powered by the Kalos Power Plant, one of the largest power stations in the entire Kalos region, plus there was the Lumiose Electric-type Gym...
Rotom indicated it might have been mistaken.
But Johan felt that Rotom was most likely correct.
Other Electric-type Pokémon might not sense it, but that didn't mean his Rotom couldn't.
Although Rotom wasn't Johan's main battling Pokémon and was just a "utility mon," it never lacked good food and drink.
Plus, Rotom had received Raikou's Thunder Stone and been infused with Zekrom's electricity - it was an Electric-type Pokémon with considerable power.
It was just that Rotom wasn't very interested in battles, otherwise... it probably didn't even have an accurate understanding of how strong its current abilities were.
But Johan still trusted Rotom's judgment.
On one hand, it was due to his trust in Rotom's abilities.
On the other hand, in the Pokémon world, whenever power plants or power stations were involved, problems always seemed to arise.
For example, a Zapdos mysteriously taking up residence in a power plant.
"Anyway, this could be an investigation direction. Professor, if it's convenient for you, perhaps you could remind the workers checking Lumiose City's circuit problems," Johan said.
Professor Sycamore nodded.
It was just an investigation direction anyway. If there really were Pokémon stealing electricity, they'd have identified the source of the problem. If not... it wouldn't delay much, just ruling out an incorrect option early.
He took out a sealed envelope from his lab coat's inner pocket and smiled: "Johan, this is the compensation I promised you earlier."
There really was compensation?
An envelope?
Could it be a check?
Was Professor Sycamore so high-end now that he used checks?
"Ka-kaah~"
Gengar reacted faster than Johan, eagerly taking the envelope and opening it, revealing a gold-embossed card.
Hm?
"This is..."
Gengar picked up the card and flipped it over, revealing an invitation.
A golden invitation!
This invitation was issued by the famous "Battle Chateau," a well-known battle facility in the Kalos region. The content was quite simple, summarized as:
Inviting Teacher Johan to participate in the "Battle Chateau" and directly granting Johan the rank of Count!
Staring at the invitation in his hand, Johan's expression was strange.
"This is the compensation?"
Completely different from what he'd expected.
The Battle Chateau in the Kalos region was renowned not only throughout Kalos but had considerable fame throughout the entire Pokémon world.
It used the traditional "Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, Baron" ranking system, emphasizing Pokémon battle etiquette and promoting traditional Kalos culture.
In Johan's memory, the future Kalos Champion, Elite Four members, and Gym Leaders were all important guests of the "Battle Chateau."
Among them, Diantha, who would become Kalos Champion, was the unique Grand Duchess of the "Battle Chateau."
And the Elite Four were all Dukes and Duchesses of the "Battle Chateau."
Additionally, trainers from other regions would also register to participate in the "Battle Chateau" when visiting Kalos.
However, due to geographical limitations and inconvenience of participation, their ranks might be slightly lower than local Kalos trainers.
The "Battle Chateau" used a point system where strength was one factor, while the number of battles and matches was another.
Of course, this didn't mean that having more battles and matches would guarantee a high rank - personal strength was the main factor.
What made the "Battle Chateau" so attractive was not only the excitement of battles and being matched with opponents of equal strength, but also the exchange system for "Battle Points," which was one of the reasons the "Battle Chateau" remained popular and increasingly hot.
It was said that with enough points and matching rank, one could even exchange points for Mega Stones at the "Battle Chateau"!
Currently, the [Grand Duke/Grand Duchess] position at the "Battle Chateau" was vacant, with the highest-ranked and most famous being Wikstrom, one of Kalos's Elite Four who called himself the "Steel-Clad Warrior"!
"I helped you apply directly for Count rank. I figured the boring battles from Baron to Viscount wouldn't mean much to you," Professor Sycamore said with a "considerate" expression, patting Johan's shoulder.
Hearing this, Johan's mouth twitched.
Who said that?
Baron and Viscount... how could they be boring? They were clearly enjoyable...
"I heard," Professor Sycamore lowered his voice, "that among the Mega Stones collected by the 'Battle Chateau,' there might be... a Tyranitar Mega Stone."
Tyranitar?!
Johan tried to cover Professor Sycamore's mouth but it was too late.
The Poké Ball at his waist trembled and opened on its own, and Larvitar came running out urgently with a mineral in its mouth, staring with wide eyes.
"Yoji, Yoji!"
I, I heard it!
Tyranitar's Mega Stone!
As the Desert Tyrant's cub, Larvitar even dreamed at night of evolving into the formidable Desert Tyrant Tyranitar!
Wasn't this Tyranitar Mega Stone prepared just for it?
Everyone had seen how cool big brother Gengar looked during Mega Evolution.
Unfortunately, Mega Evolution required matching Mega Stones, and not all Pokémon could undergo Mega Evolution.
And Larvitar was definitely among those who envied it.
Hearing that Tyranitar actually had a compatible Mega Stone, how could it not be excited?
Larvitar put on the sunglasses Gengar had given it, lowered its voice, and said:
"Yoji~!"
Desert, your tyrant~ has returned!
Bonk!
"Ow!"
Larvitar held its head and looked pitifully at Johan, who said irritably:
"Don't be so dramatic. We're not even sure it really exists."
But this matter... not knowing about it was one thing, but now that he knew... both Larvitar and Johan were indeed tempted to try.
After all, it was a Mega Stone worth at least eight figures - definitely worth attempting.
Seeing Larvitar's cute appearance, Professor Sycamore smiled:
"I originally had the idea of helping you look for a Tyranitar Mega Stone, but Mega Stones are not only hard to find, matching is also completely based on luck."
If he had a Tyranitar Mega Stone in hand, he wouldn't mind giving it directly to Johan.
"As for exchanging Mega Stones at the 'Battle Chateau,' you'd probably need to reach 'Duke' rank first to be eligible for exchange."
Duke...
According to the invitation, Johan was already a Count. Above Count was Marquis, and above Marquis was Duke.
Just two ranks away...
However, judging from the fact that currently only Kalos's Elite Four held Duke ranks, the "Battle Chateau's" ranking system was quite prestigious.
Wanting to reach Duke rank was almost equivalent to having Elite Four-level strength.
We'll see.
Anyway, this trip to Kalos was for vacation, while incidentally solving some lingering problems. He had plenty of time, and the "Battle Chateau" was such a famous place that he'd definitely visit.
At worst... he'd just take Larvitar there for some leveling up.
"Professor, please help upgrade the Pokédex's Kalos region map," Johan changed the subject.
"No problem."
Although the Pokédex contained a map of the Kalos region, this public version still had some differences from the internal Kalos League version that Professor Sycamore possessed.
Moreover, the League was constantly changing, with regions undergoing significant changes periodically. Timely updates would benefit Johan's upcoming travels.
After upgrading the Pokédex map and continuing to impose on Professor Sycamore's laboratory for a while longer, Johan took his leave.
His primary objective in coming to the Kalos region was to find the Pokémon hunter group that had originally captured and sold Ninetales.
However, considering not wanting to touch on Ninetales's past sorrows, Johan temporarily hadn't told his little ones about this main purpose, to avoid making them too agitated.
Therefore, he used the pretense of traveling and searching for diamond mines for Larvitar, letting everyone have as much fun as possible.
Of course, he had also obtained some information about Pokémon hunter groups active in the Kalos region from Team Rocket, using this as a secondary objective for the trip, so his little ones wouldn't be completely without vigilance.
So, temporarily targeting Route 7 where the "Battle Chateau" was located, Johan rode his Rotom-Bike and leisurely left Lumiose City.
"Rotom, off-road vehicle mode."
"Roger! Super transformation mode, Rotom!"
Rotom shouted, and the bicycle's tires immediately became mountain bike tires suitable for outdoor environments, plus a super shock absorption system, allowing Johan to ride on uneven terrain without much pressure.
Soon, Johan rode his bike to a stream.
He immediately changed direction, following the stream southward.
The clear stream babbled, its surface rippling with sparkling waves. The fragrance of grass and flowers was refreshing, giving the feeling of traveling across vast, boundless wilderness.
Johan's riding speed wasn't fast, and he summoned out all the little ones who wanted to come out and wander.
"Draaa~~"
Dragonite flew in the sky while Ninetales ran lightly beside the bicycle.
On the bicycle's back seat, Larvitar and Tinkaton squeezed together, each holding ice cream, swinging their little feet while eating vanilla-flavored ice cream.
Gengar floated at the back, its eyes darting around, probably thinking up some mischievous scheme again.
"Vii~~"
Victini lay on Johan's head, one hand gripping his hair, the other eating macarons, always excitedly calling out when seeing something interesting.
"I won't start balding at a young age because of Victini, will I?" Johan thought.
After riding for a while, Johan stopped at a relatively gentle terrain area.
"How about we camp here tonight?" Johan suggested.
As soon as he said this, he immediately got approval from all the little ones.
Camping! Camping! Camping! It's been so long since we camped~
Gengar called out excitedly - it was already somewhat eager for nightfall so it could greet the wild Pokémon in the area.
"Gengar, take out the tent. The tent-setting task is yours and Instructor Bear's."
"Ka-kaah!"
"Garruu!"
Gengar and Urshifu immediately accepted the mission.
Gengar dug a sizeable tent out of its shadow, and with Urshifu's help, the two little ones quickly set up a tent.
For some reason, Johan glanced at the tent and felt strangely ominous.
Gengar eagerly crawled inside, tested the soft padding, then stuck its head out and gave Johan a "perfect" gesture.
"Ka-kaah~!"
I'm definitely a tent-setting genius!
Seeing its silly, dramatic grin, Johan suddenly didn't feel ominous anymore.
Johan smiled and shook his head, rolling up his sleeves and walking into the babbling stream. The cool water flow brought the refreshing sensation unique to summer.
"Vii..."
Victini lay on his shoulder, looking at the stream below with an expression of wanting to touch but not quite daring.
"It's okay, it's just stream water," Johan encouraged.
However, before Victini could react, Larvitar nearby seemed to take this as permission for itself, raised its hands above its head in a diving pose, then—
SPLASH!!
Shallow water bomb!
As water splashed everywhere, Larvitar's head went straight into the stream, its blunt horn even penetrating into the riverbed.
Seeing this made Victini, who had been eager to try, shake its head repeatedly.
Johan: "..."
Grabbing one of Larvitar's constantly kicking feet, Johan lifted it upside down.
"Yoji~(￣~￣)"
The green little one's mouth was puffed up, apparently chewing something.
Then Johan saw that a large chunk was missing from the riverbed.
Johan: "...Does it taste good?"
"Yoji~Yoji~"
Larvitar shook its head, indicating it had a fishy taste and wasn't very good.
"Then why did you swallow it?"
Johan rubbed his forehead and placed the little one on the shore.
Unbelievable.
A gentle breeze passed by.
"Draaa——"
Dragonite happily skimmed across the water's surface, its round belly touching the water and splashing white droplets.
Ninetales lay on the soft grass pile by the shore, looking serene and well-behaved.
After setting up the tent with Gengar, Urshifu stood by the stream silently practicing punches, as if returning to the days of training at the Tower of Waters on the Isle of Armor.
Ceruledge was arranging cooking utensils with Tinkaton - Ceruledge handled the charcoal while Tinkaton temporarily forged what it considered perfect "legendary cookware."
"You're setting up too early..." Johan reminded them, but seeing they didn't react much, he shook his head.
"Forget it. In this environment... not fishing a few fish would be doing a disservice to my nature as an angler."
With that, he took out his newly purchased "Good Rod"!
Since they were traveling, with tents and everything configured, how could they lack a fishing rod?
As for why not the "Super Rod," that was naturally because the "Super Rod" was too expensive.
"(ˉ▽￣～) Hmph~~"
Johan found a large pebble by the stream to sit on. "A true master wouldn't be affected by external objects?"
He cast confidently.
Plop—
With a crisp sound, the hook carrying Johan's specially prepared bait sank into the water.
Half an hour later...
"Damn it, I should have bought the 'Super Rod.' This 'Good Rod' definitely can't match my skill level!"
Looking at the seaweed hanging on his hook, Johan muttered.
Throwing the seaweed aside, he took a deep breath and said somewhat wistfully:
"Indeed, a true master should always maintain the heart of an apprentice..."
As an apprentice, one should use the finest fishing rod.
"Vii~ヾ(￣▽￣)"
Victini flew around him cheering, thinking Johan's words were really stylish.
Several Fletchling flew overhead. Johan turned around and finally saw the scene that made his teeth itch.
Gengar, Tinkaton, and Larvitar were building a small dam upstream!
No wonder he couldn't even catch a Magikarp!
This feeling was like someone downstream who had drunk their fill discovering that someone upstream was relieving themselves - countless complaints galloped through his mind.
"Yoji~Yoji~"
Larvitar somehow managed to stand by the dam, continuously waving at something behind it. Two Bunnelby from who knows where were using their ears to pass soil to it.
Gengar was responsible for stacking the soil Larvitar passed along onto the dam, while Tinkaton stood in the center of the dam, using its hammer to compact and strengthen the dam.
Johan: "..."
"You guys..." Johan didn't know what to say.
"Ka-kaah?"
Gengar grinned and signaled Johan to relax - today definitely wouldn't be a shutout!
"Don't you think you're damaging the environment?" Johan showed an "angry" expression.
Eh?
The three little ones looked at each other and scratched their heads.
Are, are we?
"Ninetales," Johan could only use his "ultimate move" and called out.
"Oowoo?"
Ninetales, who had been resting on the grass pile, immediately opened its eyes upon hearing Johan's call, sat up, and showed some fierce light in its eyes.
Danger?
It had actually dozed off carelessly - how imprudent!
Seeing Johan actually call Ninetales, Gengar, Tinkaton, and Larvitar immediately indicated - we're being good, please spare us!
Splash splash—
The stream returned to its previous slightly rapid flow.
"Ka-kaah!"
Gengar, who had been drooping its head and ears dejectedly just a second ago, suddenly seemed to discover something and immediately dove into the stream with a "hungry ghost pounce."
When Gengar emerged from the water surface again, it was actually holding two light blue prawns about half a meter long.
Gengar held one in each hand.
Putting on swimming goggles, it actually struck a dual-gunslinger pose!
Because what it held were two Clauncher!
"Ka-kaah! ψ(`∇´)ψ"
Gengar grabbed their smaller claws and held up their large claws. With a light flick and pressure of its hands, two water streams shot from the Clauncher's pincers.
"Yoji! (☆_☆)"
Good heavens, this scene made all the little ones' eyes light up.
Gengar even showed off with poses, and with the cape and belt it pulled out, it really had the feeling of a future warrior.
"Clauncher, the Water Gun Pokémon, Water-type. It's said to be a type of lobster with very delicious meat, deeply popular in the Kalos region, Rotom! slurp—"
Delicious meat?
Hearing this phrase, the attention of Gengar, Larvitar, and other little ones immediately shifted direction.
The two Clauncher in Gengar's hands shrank even more, sensing unprecedented "threat."
Clauncher: Σ(ﾟдﾟlll)
Buzz—
Blue light waves appeared on the two Clauncher's pincers. Unlike the previous Water Gun, this light wave was... aura!
Aura Sphere!
"Garruu!!"
Sensing the aura, Urshifu immediately shouted.
Let go, let me handle this!
At the same time, light flowed back and forth on the Clauncher's pincers, as if charging up and gathering power.
This was because of the ability Clauncher possessed - Mega Launcher!
[Mega Launcher: Pokémon with this ability have their pulse and aura-based moves (except Heal Pulse) increased in power by 50%, and Heal Pulse's recovery effect is also increased by 50%!]
This ability, besides Mega Blastoise, was only possessed by Clauncher and its evolution Clawitzer, as far as Johan knew.
It was an ability perfectly suited for pulse-type moves including Aura Sphere.
Bang! Bang!
Under Gengar's control, two Aura Spheres immediately exploded on the water's surface, creating two huge splashes with water droplets scattering around.
"Ka! Kaah——!"
Invincible!!
Not just Gengar - Tinkaton, Dragonite, Urshifu, and even Larvitar all looked eager to try, wanting to snatch them and test it out.
It had to be said... Clauncher and Clawitzer were indeed very suitable for those who possessed aura.
Even Johan had a thought...
With my aura, although I can't hand-rub Aura Spheres yet, if I added Clauncher, wouldn't that be...
"Oowoo..."
Ninetales's tail gently tugged Johan's hand and pointed at the water surface.
He saw two adult Clawitzer, one male and one female, poking their heads above the water, watching Gengar "mess with" their two children. They didn't make a sound, just wore cold smiles.
At the same time, two "cannons" larger, more imposing, and more intimidating than Clauncher's rose from the water, light flowing within them.
Johan: "..."
"Cough cough, Gengar, Gengar!"
Johan called twice.
But Gengar, already immersed in its "Holy Gun Ranger" role, didn't notice the situation behind it.
The next second.
Bang—Bang—
Two surging Water Pulses shot from those massive pincers—
A few minutes later.
Johan pressed Gengar's head down, expressing apologies to the two wild Clawitzer and offering energy cubes as sincere compensation.
"Sorry..."
"Ka-kaah..."
The two bruised and battered Clauncher looked at each other.
We can't accept this, we can't accept this...
"Goka..."
Ceruledge, who had been silent throughout, suddenly murmured. In its mind appeared the scene of "Mega Launcher" enhanced Water Pulse and Aura Sphere, and it seemed to have an epiphany.
Click click—
It turned the dial on its body, immediately switching from Ceruledge to Armarouge form.
Cannon, aura - all set!
Water flow could be replaced with flames, and Armarouge already possessed aura, so the process of making aura pulses more powerful, theoretically...
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Powerstones?
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