Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 406: For the Sake of Food!

"How is it? Have you found anything?"

After capturing the Larvitar, Johan also arrived at the ruins.

The ruins were covered with various patterns—some were simple illustrations, while others represented text.

"Hmm."

Cynthia wore a serious expression. "I recognize some of the symbols, but most of them will take time to translate."

What was recorded here was likely related to the ancient Hisui period.

"Rotom, please record this for me," Cynthia suddenly said.

"Understood, Roto!"

Rotom instinctively responded.

Huh?

Rotom and Johan exchanged a glance, only now realizing what had just happened.

"Roto (O_o)??"

Suzuran Island, Contestant Village

"Rotom, Berry Blender Mode!"

"Roto!"

The high-end Berry Blender immediately started operating with a rhythmic hum.

"Yoji~"

Larvitar scratched its blunt horn, looking a little embarrassed but clearly yearning for the Berry Blender as it rubbed its belly.

That's right—it was hungry again.

Since returning from Dandelion Island, the curious Larvitar had been exploring and nibbling at everything in sight. It played for a while, got exhausted, and then became hungry.

Johan had no choice but to start making Pokéblocks.

The ones he had fed Larvitar earlier were from his old stock—delicious and highly nutritious, no doubt.

However, those Pokéblocks were mainly prepared to establish friendly relations with unfamiliar Pokémon, such as Darkrai, Cresselia, and Heatran.

Johan jokingly called them "Succubus Pokéblocks" because they were designed to be irresistibly tasty and adaptable to any Pokémon's palate.

That meant they weren't specifically tailored for Larvitar.

So, after returning, he immediately started making a custom batch.

Fortunately, The Secrets of the Earth had detailed notes from Giovanni on the type of Pokéblocks suitable for Larvitar.

With some of his own adjustments, Johan believed the final product would not only aid Larvitar's growth but also satisfy its taste buds.

Johan hadn't fully mapped out a training plan for Larvitar yet, but he had some ideas.

Larvitar was a Rock/Ground-type Pokémon, but its final evolution, Tyranitar, was Rock/Dark. That transition needed special attention.

Its primary training direction had to be physical attack-based. A slightly slower speed wouldn't be an issue since it could control the weather, but its offensive power had to be overwhelming.

Additionally, Larvitar's ability would eventually become Sand Stream upon evolving into Tyranitar.

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Weather-based abilities could potentially conflict with Ice Ninetales' Snow Warning.

"...There might be a way to merge snow and sand into hail..."

As Johan pondered this while making Pokéblocks—

"Cha~"

Tinkaton, acting like a big sister, gently patted Larvitar on the head, nearly knocking it over.

But Larvitar wasn't upset; instead, it looked up at Tinkaton with a goofy grin.

Tinkaton sneakily glanced at Johan before taking out a shimmering silver piece of metal.

Larvitar blinked in surprise before eagerly opening its mouth—

—And chomped down on the metal, producing a crunching sound.

"Yoji! (`)"

"Cha!"

Wow! It really can eat that!

At that, the other Pokémon gathered around.

"Goka?"

Charcadet pulled out a small piece of charcoal and hesitantly offered it to Larvitar.

Without hesitation, Larvitar bit down—

"Yoji! (!!`)∑"

Only to spit it out immediately, sticking out its tongue and frantically fanning its mouth.

Hot!!

"Ka-kaah~~"

Gengar, now sporting a pair of glasses, rubbed its chin like a detective and made a conclusion:

Larvitar's favorite food was definitely rocks!

Hearing this—

"Draaa?"

Dragonite pulled out a greenish stone fragment, faintly glowing.

"Goka!"

Charcadet retrieved a dark red, somewhat dull stone that shimmered slightly.

"Ka-kaah!"

Gengar clapped its hands and spit out a fragment of the large Platinum Gem they had found yesterday, placing it in front of Larvitar.

Seeing this, Kubfu looked around anxiously, realizing it had nothing valuable to offer. In the end, it pitifully pulled out an Energy Root.

"Ku..."

Don't look down on it, okay?

Even Ice Ninetales only had a Never-Melt Ice to contribute.

"Yoji?"

Larvitar stared wide-eyed at the offerings before it, swallowing nervously.

Are... are these really for me?

Can I really eat them?

"Ka-kaah! (_)"

Gengar confidently patted Larvitar's head and waved a hand grandly.

Eat up! We're not stingy Pokémon!

"Yoji!! (ˊ〇ˋ*)"

Larvitar lifted its head, letting out an adorably fierce cry.

Surprisingly, it did look a bit like a "beast" in that moment.

Hearing the commotion, Johan turned around and immediately twitched.

Oh great.

They're actually feeding it this stuff, and it's actually eager to eat it!

Doesn't it hurt its teeth?!

"Put it down! All of you, put it down!" Johan quickly stepped in. "You can't just feed the little guy whatever you find! What if it gets indigestion?"

"And you—Marshadow—keep your little stick to yourself!"

"Marsha..."

The shadowy Marshadow awkwardly retreated, pouting in dissatisfaction.

What a waste. Doesn't even recognize the World Tree's branches...

Johan's mouth twitched.

That's exactly why I'm stopping you.

Feeding a Ground/Rock-type Pokémon a branch full of Grass-type energy? What kind of logic is that?

Do you not understand four times weakness to Grass?!

Even if it's imbued with the essence of life... you still shouldn't be randomly feeding it!

"Larvitar, don't just eat anything you see. You need to be a refined little—uh, a refined Larvitar."

Johan sat cross-legged and placed a freshly made Pokéblock in front of Larvitar.

"Yoji?"

A refined... Larvitar?

"Here, try this. It's good."

Larvitar happily began munching on it.

Johan sighed.

Its appetite was... something else.

"After this tournament, I'll have to order a batch of minerals..."

Thinking of minerals, Johan's first thought was naturally his student, Steven, since his family practically lived in mines.

However...

Steven's minerals were high-quality and expensive. Given his personality, he might even send them over for free, taking a loss in the process.

"I can't just keep mooching off Steven—it's not right as a teacher."

Looks like a trip to Oreburgh City was in order.

Oreburgh City also produced high-quality minerals. With both sources combined, he should be able to meet Larvitar's needs.

Larvitar could eat a variety of things—high-grade soil, rocks, coal, metal...

If you dared to feed it, it dared to eat.

That said...

According to Pokémon-world diets, Pidgey ate Caterpie, Weavile hunted Alolan Vulpix...

Larvitar's menu probably included Roggenrola, Geodude, Carbink, Rolycoly, and even Minior.

Johan quickly shook his head and dismissed the thought.

At most... just fallen fragments!

"...I wonder if Pokémon-world has uranium ore?"

If it did, feeding Larvitar some might turn it into Godzilla.

No matter what—

"This Suzuran Conference is going to be serious."

Johan's gaze sharpened.

"For the sake of food!"

"Ka-kaah!"

Led by Gengar, the Pokémon all cheered.

For the sake of food!

The "Outlaw Squad" had officially set their goal—Operation Food Supply had begun!

Hearing this, Larvitar wiped its mouth and let out an adorably fierce cry:

"Yoji!"

For the sake of food!

Viridian City, Rocket HQ

"Oh? It hatched? A Larvitar, huh..."

It was rare for Giovanni to receive a call from Johan.

Upon learning that the Pokémon hatched from the egg was a Larvitar, his mood improved significantly.

Raising a Larvitar and running out of money?

Running out of money was exactly the point!

Ideally, Johan would remain tied to the Rocket "war chariot," ensuring he could never leave.

This outcome was an unexpected but welcome surprise for Giovanni.

"It's a highly promising Pokémon. My suggestion is to build another Sandstorm team! Tell me what Pokémon you need—I should have the offspring of any Sandstorm team members." Giovanni spoke boldly.

Johan: "..."

So, Giovanni, was your plan all along to send me one Larvitar per year until I had a full Sandstorm team?

Thanks, I guess?

"Ahem, Gym Leader Giovanni, I wanted to ask—aside from what's mentioned in The Secrets of the Earth, is there anything else I should focus on when training Larvitar?"

"Focus, huh..."

Giovanni paused in thought before answering:

"I didn't hold anything back in The Secrets of the Earth. Everything I know is in there. As for Larvitar or its final evolution, Tyranitar, my only advice is... fully develop their offensive capabilities!"

After a brief pause, he added:

"Offense is the best defense. While that might not apply to every Pokémon, believe me—it absolutely applies to Tyranitar!"

Giovanni seemed to be getting excited.

"Relentless offense is equivalent to impenetrable defense. You must trust in the power of the earth!"

"The moment you stand firmly on the ground, you become invincible!"

Johan was speechless.

You and I are not the same, Giovanni!

Isn't the reason you and Mewtwo didn't get along because it prefers to float and fight from the air?

"But Johan, remember one thing—The Secrets of the Earth outlines the training method that suited me best. It may not be a perfect fit for you. You need to make your own decisions."

To be fair, Giovanni did have a master's attitude when it came to passing down knowledge.

"I understand."

Johan had received guidance from many people, but he had never blindly copied any of their training methods.

He firmly believed that no two Pokémon were ever exactly alike.

"Good. I trust your abilities. So..."

"Do your best in the Suzuran Conference."

"Haha." Johan chuckled dryly.

For the sake of food, I don't really have a choice but to do my best.

"If you need rare minerals, just let me know. Recently, Viridian Gym acquired a few more mining rights, and we've got a lot of extra miners working. We should be able to dig up quite a few valuable ores."

"Oh?" Johan's eyes lit up. "And the cost?"

"Don't worry about the cost."

Giovanni chuckled. "You can buy on credit!"

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Powerstones?

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