Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 431: The Pay-to-Win Training Method Lives Up to Its Name (BONUS)

The night sky stretched endlessly, with a faint moonlight weaving through wispy clouds, casting a delicate veil over the world.

A campfire burned in the courtyard, its flickering flames driving away the night's chill.

After the celebration, everyone sat around the courtyard, enjoying a rare moment of peace.

Beyond the yard, the rustling leaves and occasional chirps of insects created a melancholic melody.

"Ka-kaah~"

Gengar sat alone on the swing, a troubled expression on its face.

It took occasional sips from a drink in its cup.

Noticing its demeanor, Flint's Infernape climbed onto the swing's metal pole, gazing down at Gengar under the moonlight before speaking softly:

"Ku~" (What's wrong? You just won the championship, why aren't you happy?)

Gengar looked up at Infernape, curiosity flashing in its eyes, before asking back:

"Ka-kaah?" (What about you? Why do you also look troubled?)

At this, Infernape sighed deeply.

"Ku~" (Tomorrow, I have to start eating charcoal as part of my diet... I don't know if I can handle it.)

Charcoal?

Gengar's expression turned strange.

It had tried eating charcoal before—

It was scorching hot, dry as heck, and tasted awful.

Only Charcadet seemed to treat it like a delicacy.

Then, Gengar's eyes flickered mischievously, and it grinned:

"Ka-kaah~" (You could always make Flint study first. If he can learn to be like Johan... then you eat the charcoal.)

Infernape's eyes immediately lit up.

Great idea!

Flint always wanted to learn from Johan.

If Flint can pull it off, then fine, Infernape would eat the charcoal.

Sounded fair enough!

"Ku?" (But you still haven't said what's bothering you.)

Now feeling much better, Infernape asked again.

Gengar sighed, took another sip of its drink, and looked mournful.

"Ka-kaah~" (Being undefeated... is so lonely...)

The League wouldn't even let them compete in regular tournaments anymore!

Damn it!

It had to be because they were too strong.

But it wasn't like Gengar had gone all out!

Sigh...

Gengar sighed again.

Infernape: "..."

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

So you're pouting like a heartbroken fool... over that?

And this whole "drinking alone in sorrow" act...

At least swap the milk for actual alcohol!

Just like that, Infernape's briefly lifted spirits plummeted again.

I was naïve... I always knew Gengar was a master at acting, but I never thought... it could go this far.

Suddenly—

"Ka-kaah!"

Gengar shouted loudly, grabbing everyone's attention.

All the Pokémon nearby turned their heads.

"Oowoo?"

Ninetales, curled up lazily in Johan's lap, cracked open one eye, looking confused.

Johan's expression tensed.

What nonsense is this purple goblin up to now?

Tinkaton, who had been discussing armor designs with Urshifu and Charcadet, also looked over.

On the grass, Dragonite lay sprawled out, completely stuffed, while Larvitar bounced on its belly, playing with Rotom.

"Yoji~ Yoji~"

"I-I can't eat that, Roto! (.﹏.)"

Meanwhile, Gengar dived into a bush, parting the leaves to reveal a Kricketune leading a group of Kricketots in song practice.

Gengar's sudden intrusion startled them.

Luckily, it didn't attack them—

Instead, it took a huge gulp of milk, then declared:

"I feel inspired! Accompany me!"

The Kricketots looked to Kricketune.

Kricketune swallowed nervously.

Even though Gengar hadn't done anything threatening, its natural "boss-like" presence made it seem too risky to refuse.

So, it quickly nodded.

Gengar cleared its throat, grinning.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Kricketune led the melody, its voice smooth and pleasant.

To be honest, it and its Kricketots were quite talented.

At first, the performance sounded pretty good.

But then...

"Ka-kaah~ Ka-kaah~ Ka-kaah-kaah~"

As soon as Gengar started singing, the entire vibe shifted.

Still, the Kricketots were professionals.

They quickly adjusted their tune to match Gengar, doing their best to keep up.

However, as the song continued...

Both the Pokémon and the trainers gradually sensed something was off.

Suddenly, Cynthia—who had been watching with a smile— spoke:

"That sounds... like Perish Song."

Johan's eyes widened.

Then why are you so calm?!

Everyone: "!!!"

All Pokémon: "!!!"

January 24 – Cloudy

Some tourists were beginning to leave, while others chose to stay on Lily of the Valley Island a bit longer.

Due to scheduling constraints, Johan's group was also preparing to depart.

Steven had agreed to take the twin Butler siblings and Alcremie back to Rustboro City.

To Johan's surprise, their temporary café and dessert shop—

Had earned a staggering 800,000 Pokédollars!

Johan never expected this.

No wonder the League valued these tournaments so much.

His small café was just one among hundreds on the island.

And yet, it had still raked in this much money.

Not to mention all the gift shops, clothing stores, hotels, and more.

The direct revenue from a single tournament had to be in the hundreds of millions of Pokédollars.

And that didn't even include the tourism industry, advertising, sponsorships...

It was clear now.

The most profitable business in the Pokémon world—

Was running the League.

Of course, Johan's own earnings weren't small, either.

1.5 million Pokédollars from winning the tournament.

Various valuable prizes.

Profits from his pop-up shop.

Altogether, he had around 17 to 18 million Pokédollars.

And with the exhibition match coming up...

By the time his Sinnoh trip ended, he'd likely earn over 23 million Pokédollars.

Suddenly, life felt a lot better.

Like a parent working hard to feed their children.

After Steven left on his private jet, Bertha also departed with Volkner.

Volkner had a mission to complete—A mission that Johan had personally assigned.

As for Bertha...She was tagging along simply because it felt satisfying to boss her around.

Why didn't they take Flint with them?

Because while Bertha was reckless, at least she was less chaotic than Flint.

Which meant Flint had become Johan and Cynthia's new problem.

The group's first stop was Canalave City before heading to the exhibition match venue.

Johan would've preferred not to bring Flint, but he was too stubborn to shake off.

He even declared—

"Why didn't the organizers invite me? I'm going to find the noble who's hosting this event and convince him myself!"

Clearly, life as an Elite Four in Sinnoh wasn't easy.

Luckily, Flint was just tagging along on Cynthia's private jet.

Which meant Johan was stuck with him.

Aboard the Private Jet

Cynthia sat by the window, elegantly reading a book.

Johan, instead of holding clingy little Ninetales, was carrying Larvitar.

Because the little guy had almost bitten the turbine when they landed.

He was terrified.

This aircraft wasn't cheap.

So now, Johan had to keep a firm grip on Larvitar, lest it decide to take a nibble out of the plane.

The little one was behaving for now, but its curious eyes stayed glued to the window.

Much like Gengar's first time flying.

Johan sighed.

Gengar had turned into an old veteran.

It could even nap peacefully on a flight now.

Clearly, Perish Song had traumatized it last night.

Johan sighed.

Without realizing it, Gengar had already become a seasoned traveler.

It could even nap peacefully on a flight now.

Clearly, last night's Perish Song incident had left a mark—

A very real, physical mark.

Meanwhile, Larvitar, as a Rock/Ground-type Pokémon, was still a youngling full of curiosity about the world.

And its way of exploring new things was simple—

Bite first, ask questions later.

It pointed at the clouds outside the window.

"Can I eat that?"

It pointed at the mountains below.

"Do they taste sweet?"

It pointed at the rivers.

"Are they sour?"

It was like a walking "Ten Thousand Whys" book, asking all sorts of strange food-related questions.

Johan, though a bit amused, patiently answered each one.

His experience taking care of Tinkaton had made him quite skilled in handling these kinds of Pokémon.

As for Flint...

He was already passed out in his seat.

"Cha~"

Tinkaton lay sprawled over Urshifu's back, hammer in hand, measuring its body.

The plan was simple—

Build a suit of armor for the "Big General Bear."

Half of this was Urshifu's own request, and the other half was Tinkaton wanting to test its crafting skills.

If the armor for Urshifu turned out well enough, then the next project would be for Charcadet.

Without a doubt, Tinkaton was becoming more and more like a true blacksmith.

A tiny pink-haired weaponsmith with twin ponytails.

Meanwhile, Rotom, ever the perfect assistant, floated nearby, recording measurements and offering suggestions.

Landing in Canalave City

The plane landed around noon.

Their only goal here?

Buying ore.

Although Johan could've asked Steven to sell him some, the Devon Corporation had partnerships in Canalave City.

A lot of coal-based ores and rare minerals exclusive to Sinnoh were mined and processed here.

Considering Larvitar's dietary needs, Johan planned to stock up.

Later, he could have Steven help transport it all back.

Byron, the Canalave Gym Leader, was quite generous—

He gave Johan the lowest possible discount.

Johan gritted his teeth and spent 7 million Pokédollars to order an entire truckload of minerals for Larvitar.

Of course, the minerals weren't even the most expensive part.

What really emptied his wallet—

Were the "Smooth Rock" and "Soft Sand."

The Smooth Rock was an item that extended the duration of Sandstorm.

For Larvitar, it would greatly enhance its future Sandstorm abilities.

It was a long-term investment.

And—Larvitar absolutely loved eating it.

The Soft Sand, on the other hand, was a highly recommended item in The Art of the Earth.

It massively boosted a Pokémon's potential in Ground-type moves.

This was critical for Larvitar.

Once it evolved into Tyranitar, it would lose its Ground-typing.

If Johan wanted its Ground-type moves to remain strong, he had to train its potential early.

The only downside?

His wallet took a massive hit.

The League winnings were already half gone.

That "feeling rich" sensation?

Gone. Completely gone.

Larvitar, meanwhile, was thrilled.

"Biu-te-ful!"

Johan let out a deep sigh.

The pay-to-win training method... truly lived up to its name.

Of course, it didn't stop at minerals.

Johan had also invested heavily in Larvitar's Pokéblock diet.

Both Larvitar and Tyranitar had a ton of weaknesses.

To counterbalance this, Johan had incorporated special berries into its diet to help build resistances early on.

For example,

Chople Berries for Fighting-type resistance Wacan Berries for Water-type resistance

All of these were expensive as hell.

But they were necessary.

He had even scammed Marshadow into trading some twigs from the Tree of Beginning in exchange for gourmet food.

These twigs were then added to Larvitar's diet to strengthen its resistance to Grass-type moves.

Luckily, Larvitar wasn't picky.

It simply ate everything in sight.

And once it started eating...

It. Never. Stopped.

At this point, Johan made up his mind.

Next time Mew showed up, he'd shake it down for more materials.

The Tree of Beginning was both a plant and a mineral source, making it the perfect Larvitar food.

Marshadow's personal stash was limited, but Mew?

Mew could get as much as it wanted.

"If I could get my hands on some Xerneas' Life Tree materials..."

Then maybe, just maybe—

Tyranitar could eat Grass-type moves like snacks.

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The onomatopoeia for Infernape is the same as Kubfu due to the author using the exact same word for the onomatopoeia.

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Powerstones?

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