Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 449: Celebi’s Forest? (BONUS)

February 16th, Thursday.

A light drizzle fell from the sky, bringing the warmth of early spring back to a chilling cold.

Johan stood on the deck, one hand gripping the railing, the other holding onto his hat, as the sea breeze playfully tugged at the loose strands of his hair.

"That must be Olivine City's lighthouse."

He turned to the Ninetales beside him and smiled. "Maybe we'll run into Jasmine too."

"Oowoo~"

Ninetales smiled slightly.

It still had an impression of Jasmine, especially her enormous appetite.

Hooooonnnnk—

The ship's horn sounded, and a flock of Wingull, instead of being startled away, actually gathered closer in response.

Johan chuckled, taking out some leftover Pokéblock crumbs. The Wingull immediately flocked to him, perching on his hand and eagerly pecking at the food.

Seeing this, other passengers on the deck began mimicking his actions.

However, the snacks and bread crumbs they offered clearly weren't as appealing as Johan's Pokéblock crumbs.

This earned him quite a few curious and envious glances.

"Dear passengers, we are about to arrive in Olivine City."

A sweet voice came from the ship's speakers.

"Ka-kaah, you can come up now," Johan called out to the sea.

"Ka-kaah~! Glub, glub, glub—"

A moment later, a soaking-wet Gengar, wearing swim goggles, crawled onto the deck, startling several passengers, who momentarily mistook it for a drowned ghost.

Johan had arrived in Goldenrod City by plane that morning, then taken a ship to Olivine City.

Stepping off the boat onto the docks, he was greeted by clearing skies, soft golden sand, and the scent of the sea breeze.

On the beach—

A few Slowpoke sat lazily by the shore, their tails dipped into the water as they fished, their slow, silly expressions making them irresistibly endearing.

"Yadon?"

Sensing Johan's gaze, the Slowpoke sluggishly turned their heads, question marks practically floating above their heads.

Seeing their expressions, Johan couldn't help but chuckle.

Come to think of it, wasn't Cynthia also fond of Slowpoke?

"They probably... taste pretty good, huh?"

"Ka-kaah?"

Gengar's eyes lit up, and it gulped.

"Slowpoke and Farfetch'd are both considered 'specialties' of the Johto region."

Images of crispy roast duck, scallion duck wraps, and bamboo shoot duck soup popped into Gengar's mind.

"Ka-kaah... (ρ_ρ)"

Johan laughed and gave Gengar a light smack on the head.

"You know, Kanto and Johto are probably the safest regions."

Hoenn had its two legendary "dumbasses," Sinnoh had its three, and places like Unova, Kalos, and Alola each had their share of reckless fools.

But Kanto and Johto?

At most, they had Ho-Oh, Lugia, Mewtwo, and Mew.

And honestly, Ho-Oh was basically just a shiny Fearow busy filming all day—not a threat at all.

Besides, as the rightful owner of the Rainbow Wing, Johan figured Ho-Oh had to show him some respect, right?

As for Lugia...

A prime example of "parenting before marriage," it was probably too busy taking care of its baby.

Mewtwo and Mew?

They had great relationships with him.

Even Team Rocket, once the biggest "threat" in Kanto and Johto, had Johan as one of its executives now...

Thinking about it—

If he ever wanted to retire, Kanto and Johto might be ideal. The climate was nice, too.

"Let's go. We've got work to do."

Johan patted Gengar's head and entered Olivine City.

The photo Briar found had been taken outside the Olivine Gym.

So, if he wanted to find Silver without drawing too much attention, his best bet was through Olivine's Gym Leader—Jasmine.

"At this time of day..."

Johan checked his watch. It was nearly lunchtime.

If he wanted to find Jasmine, there was one place to check—

Olivine Restaurant.

Located near the city's harbor, this restaurant was well-known.

Not because its food was especially gourmet, but because it served huge portions at decent quality.

It was a favorite among sailors and other laborers.

When Johan arrived, the restaurant was already bustling with burly seafarers, each seated in front of impressive heaps of food.

"Ka-kaah..."

Gengar secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Found her."

Scanning the room, Johan quickly spotted her in a corner.

A slender girl with chestnut brown hair tied into two braids, cradling a Magnemite in her arms.

On the table before her—

Stacks upon stacks of empty plates.

The plates had two things in common:

They were huge. And they were spotless.

As Johan approached, Jasmine kept her head down, her cheeks puffed out as she chewed.

Noticing his presence, she hesitantly turned her head.

Their eyes met.

"Mmm...!"

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Jasmine's face turned bright red to the tips of her ears. She waved her hands frantically, flustered, before finally swallowing her food and stammering—

"T-These... These plates... were left by the person before me..."

Johan smiled.

Though he already knew about Jasmine's legendary appetite, he was always amazed by the sheer amount of food she could consume despite her small frame.

Just where did she put it all?

Did she have a bottomless stomach?

"Good afternoon, Miss Jasmine."

"G-Good afternoon, Johan-sensei..." she mumbled, her face turning even redder.

"Sorry for bothering you at lunch, but I wanted to ask if you've seen this person."

Johan handed her a photo.

Jasmine took it and examined it carefully.

"Hmm?"

"This person is..."

Johan smiled slightly. "You could say he's a student of mine. He suddenly disappeared, and his father is a bit worried."

"Oh."

Jasmine nodded without asking further.

After thinking for a moment, she said—

"I think I've seen him."

Johan's eyes brightened.

Jasmine hesitated before continuing, slightly embarrassed.

"That day, I was returning from the lighthouse when the caretaker told me he had been loitering outside the Gym for a long time. I assumed he was a challenger, so I went to ask him... but before I could say anything, he ran off."

A challenger?

Johan's lips twitched.

More likely... Silver had been scouting Pokémon at the time.

He still remembered playing HeartGold/SoulSilver and running into Silver outside the Olivine Gym.

But back then, Silver was there to challenge the Gym.

Now?

He probably didn't even have a full team yet.

"Do you know which way he ran?" Johan asked.

"Umm..." Jasmine thought for a moment. "Into the forest."

The forest?

Johan immediately felt a headache coming on.

The reason tracking Silver had been so difficult was because he constantly disappeared into dense, complex forests.

This probably meant...

This trip was a bust.

Noticing Johan's expression, Jasmine offered, "Maybe... there's someone who can help."

"Oh?"

Jasmine pulled out her phone and made a call. After a brief exchange, she let out a small breath of relief and smiled.

"Good thing—he's at sea near Olivine City today."

But they'd have to wait a while.

Johan didn't mind.

It gave him time to eat.

And so—

Johan witnessed firsthand the miracle of mortals challenging a god.

Despite having eaten a lot already, Jasmine was still able to keep up with Gengar's monstrous appetite—for a while.

Fortunately, the person they were waiting for arrived before things got too out of hand.

The newcomer was a young man in a light-colored trench coat—Mr. White.

According to Jasmine, Mr. White was a resident of the northwestern forests of Olivine City. When she sent him Silver's photo, he confirmed that he had seen him in the forest.

So, he was willing to take Johan into the forest to search for him.

"I appreciate the help, Mr. White," Johan said.

Mr. White, who had a cheerful and easygoing personality, laughed and waved it off. "Helping Johan-sensei is my honor."

Johan couldn't help but think—

Having a bit of fame did have its perks.

This Mr. White... was actually one of his fans.

After saying their goodbyes to Jasmine, Johan and Mr. White boarded the latter's boat.

It was a speedboat capable of navigating both the city's waterways and the forest's rivers.

As the boat glided across the water, under Mr. White's control, they left Olivine City and entered the forest's river system.

As soon as they entered the forested waters, wild Pokémon began appearing more frequently.

Splash!

A Golduck suddenly surfaced beside the boat, swimming at high speed alongside them.

It looked like... it wanted to race?

Mr. White didn't mind, but Gengar was not having it.

Without hesitation, it pulled out a pair of swim goggles, slapped them on, and—

Plop!

It jumped into the river.

"Gah? Σ(゜ロ゜;)"

Golduck, seeing Gengar in the water, was visibly shocked.

And the craziest part?

Gengar was fast.

In the blink of an eye, a round, shadowy figure whooshed past Golduck.

Realizing it was falling behind, Golduck clenched its jaw and dashed forward—

Losing to a ghost in a swimming race? Unacceptable.

Meanwhile, the Poké Balls on Johan's belt began shaking.

"Draaa~~"

With a flash of red light, Dragonite soared into the sky, startling a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto as it flew past.

"Yoji! Yoji!"

Meanwhile, Larvitar waddled onto the boat's edge, imitating Gengar.

It put its little hands together, took a deep breath, and—

Jumped.

Only to be snatched mid-air by Johan, who grabbed its blunt horn and held it up like a struggling puppy.

"Yoji! Yoji!"

Larvitar kicked its tiny feet and flailed its little arms.

But when it cautiously peeked open one eye, it realized—

It was still on the boat.

Immediately, it crossed its arms behind its back and grinned sheepishly.

Johan sighed, rubbing his forehead before placing the little guy back on the boat.

"You can go swimming when you learn Surf."

He really didn't get it—

Why did Larvitar, a Pokémon four times weak to Water, love playing in it so much?

Maybe it was just a child's curiosity.

Well, once Larvitar evolved into Tyranitar, it would be able to learn Surf.

Johan still remembered that Pokémon movie featuring a surfing Tyranitar—when it moved through the water, it looked like Godzilla.

Not to mention, Tyranitar could also learn Muddy Water.

After giving Larvitar a piece of mineral to chew on, the little guy immediately forgot about swimming and happily sat at the front of the boat, munching away.

Johan patted its head, feeling a bit relieved.

He had to admit—

Taking the Pokémon out for some wild exploration wasn't a bad idea.

Meanwhile, Rotom hovered nearby, snapping photos of everything around them.

As they continued their journey, they soon arrived at a waterfall.

It seemed... this was the end of the river route.

"Ka-kaah~"

Gengar happily climbed back onto the boat and waved at Golduck.

The Golduck, however, simply rolled its eyes back, foamed at the mouth, and floated belly-up on the water.

...Had Gengar destroyed it in the race?

Johan turned to Mr. White. "Is this as far as we can go?"

Mr. White smiled. "Not a problem. Watch this."

He pressed a button on the boat.

Psssshhhhh—

With the sound of inflating air, buoyancy tubes on either side of the boat slowly expanded, shifting upward with the whirring of gears.

Within moments, the speedboat had transformed into an airship!

"Ka-kaah!? (⊙_⊙)"

Gengar's eyes sparkled.

A transforming vehicle?!

The airship slowly rose, lifting them above the forest canopy.

Below them stretched an endless expanse of green.

The vast sea of treetops swayed gently in the wind, with Pokémon moving actively among the branches.

"Ka-kaah~"

Gengar called out to Dragonite.

"Draaa~"

Dragonite circled back and flew close to the airship.

With a smirk, the pudgy purple ghost hopped onto Dragonite's back.

Then, with a dramatic wave of its arms—

"Take off!"

"Draaa~~!"

Johan instinctively gripped the railing tighter.

...They really just took off like that?

Wait.

Why did this scene feel... familiar?

A chilling thought crossed Johan's mind.

"Mr. White... where exactly are we going?"

"Forest Village," Mr. White answered without hesitation.

Forest Village?

Johan frowned. He didn't recognize the name.

Mr. White explained, "Because there are a lot of Pokémon poachers in the forest, Forest Village is built at the entrance to help prevent them from getting in."

As Mr. White spoke, Johan's memory clicked.

Forest Village.

Lake of Life.

...Wasn't this Celebi's Forest?!

The setting of Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi - Voice of the Forest?

No wonder it felt familiar—this movie was from a long time ago.

Mr. White added, "The kid you're looking for passed through Forest Village not long ago."

...Silver had nothing to do with Celebi, right?

In the movie, Celebi had taken a young Professor Oak on a 40-year time-travel journey.

That couldn't have changed, right?

Even with all the butterfly effects Johan had caused, there was no way he had altered something that happened 40 years ago.

That thought reassured him—at least a little.

"We've arrived."

The airship didn't have to travel far before it descended toward a village nestled within the dense forest.

Forest Village.

Much like Fortree City in Hoenn, the villagers here lived in treehouses built among the massive trees.

Passing through layers of branches and leaves, the airship slowly docked at an aerial harbor.

"Draaa~~"

Dragonite flew by and waved at a few Caterpie on the branches, causing them to freeze in terror.

Caterpie: "We're doomed! That's a HUGE bird!"

"Ka-kaah?"

Despite enjoying its ride on Dragonite, Gengar suddenly tilted its head.

Something felt... off.

"Ka-kaah."

It stuck out its tongue, curling the Adamant Orb at its tip.

The orb glowed faintly—

It was brighter than usual.

That confirmed it.

Something was disrupting time here.

Gengar's eyes gleamed.

Time-related forces...

This could be the key to making Johan immortal.

For once, Gengar was serious.

The airship docked successfully.

Johan and Mr. White disembarked.

"The kid you're looking for," Mr. White said, "was here not long ago. You should ask Towa. When I left, he was still around—but I don't know if he's left since."

Towa was a respected figure in Forest Village.

She had spent her entire life guarding the forest entrance, preventing evildoers from getting in.

As they approached her treehouse, they spotted the elderly woman standing on the balcony, leaning on a Noctowl-shaped staff, her expression stern.

Mr. White stepped forward and spoke respectfully.

"Towa, this is Professor Johan. He's here to—"

He briefly explained Johan's purpose for visiting and asked about Silver's whereabouts.

Upon hearing that Johan was a respected professor looking for his student, Towa's expression softened considerably.

But when asked about Silver, she said—

"That boy... entered the forest."

Johan instinctively pressed his fingers against his temples.

He went into the forest?

"Professor Johan, are you planning to follow him?" Towa asked seriously.

"If you do, then when you hear 'the voice of the forest,' you must stay still. Do not move."

Johan hesitated.

Follow him?

No.

This forest was massive.

Silver could have gone anywhere.

Running around without a lead would be no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.

It seemed this trip was a waste after all.

"Draaa~~"

Just then—

Johan glanced up and saw Dragonite casually flying over the so-called forest entrance.

Johan: "..."

So much for that 'entrance.'

"Dragonite, Gengar, come back!" Johan called out.

"Ka-kaah!!"

From Dragonite's back, Gengar cupped its hands around its mouth and shouted back at Johan.

Then, it pointed deeper into the forest, as if it had found something.

A strange feeling crept into Johan's heart.

A bad feeling.

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Powerstones?

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