Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 471: This Makes No Sense! (BONUS)

"Ka-kaah!"

At Gengar's excited cry, the others immediately swarmed forward.

They ruffled Ceruledge's helmet, rubbed its armor, and even touched its sword—

And to be honest, Tinkaton's craftsmanship was pretty impressive.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Gengar patted Ceruledge's shoulder with satisfaction.

Not bad. From now on, your looks will only be second to mine.

Even Ceruledge, who usually looked so cool and composed, couldn't help but seem a little shy in the face of all the attention.

At the same time, it had gained a new understanding of itself.

In terms of appearance, it was definitely one of the best-looking in the team.

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"That was an amazing battle."

Glacia had finished tending to Vanilluxe and approached with a light clap.

"Charcadet's battle helped it experience change and growth. Strengthening its beliefs, then evolving at the perfect moment to solidify that conviction and secure victory."

As a member of the Elite Four, Glacia had raised many Pokémon. She could clearly see Johan's approach to training Charcadet.

No wonder he was called the 'Master of the Mind'—he had an incredible grasp of Pokémon psychology.

"It worked hard on its own. I just helped it recognize its own strength," Johan replied with a smile.

Glacia nodded.

Self-awareness was a strength in itself.

"You won. I'll approve your reimbursement request."

She accepted her loss without hesitation.

"Ka-kaah~"

Gengar glanced at the others smugly—another victory, another payday.

Then, Glacia stepped closer to Johan and lowered her voice.

"Interested in taking my job?"

Huh?!

Johan's eyes widened.

"You'd be able to approve your own reimbursements." Glacia continued, tempting him.

Wait, hold on—

Johan nearly choked.

First Drake, and now even Glacia?

What was going on with the Hoenn Elite Four?!

Of course, Glacia wasn't asking Johan to replace her as an Elite Four member.

What she meant was—once Johan inevitably became one, he should also take over her financial management responsibilities.

Because being an Elite Four in Hoenn was... exhausting.

Just look at the team:

Drake, the strongest among them, spent most of his time sailing the seas in pursuit of some grand conquest.

Sidney, the Dark-type specialist, used to be a small-time gangster. Sure, he'd turned over a new leaf, and he had a strong sense of justice... but when it came to management?

Forget it.

Then there was Phoebe, the recently appointed Ghost-type Elite Four. Her strength and potential were undeniable, but she had spent most of her life on Mt. Pyre with her grandparents.

She had zero experience in administration.

Which left...

Glacia.

And she was completely overwhelmed with work.

After hearing her explanation, Johan finally understood.

This was basically Hoenn's version of Lucian's situation in Sinnoh.

Managing Hoenn's finances sounded tempting—there was so much money involved.

As a famous leader once said, money was just a string of numbers.

But in the end, it wasn't his money.

And—

The more power you had, the heavier your responsibilities became.

Johan had no grand ambitions.

Right now, he just wanted to take care of his own team first.

Then, if he had the energy, maybe he'd think about everyone else.

His own team was already expensive enough—he didn't have time to manage Hoenn's budget.

"Maybe next time," Johan said with an awkward smile. "Or... maybe not."

"I'm going to check on Ceruledge."

With that, he quickly escaped into the house.

Huh?

Maybe not?

Shouldn't he have said, 'Next time for sure'?!

Glacia blinked.

Then, she smiled.

That was fine.

Because in the end—

Johan would have no choice but to take responsibility.

The more he got involved, the harder it would be to escape.

That was just how things worked.

Feeling satisfied, Glacia turned to Steven and Wallace, giving them a small nod.

Right.

These two could also be useful in the future.

After all, they were Hoenn's future leaders.

"Master Johan really won," Steven murmured after witnessing the entire battle.

He didn't seem surprised by the result.

To be honest, neither he nor Wallace would've been surprised regardless of who won.

It was just a matter of how much strength each of them revealed.

The only unexpected part—

Was that Johan used this battle to help Charcadet evolve.

Wallace was still replaying the fight in his mind, his eyes shimmering with interest.

"That sword strike..."

It was both fast and powerful.

It had a graceful elegance—

Similar to the ice sculptures created by Ninetales.

Wait—

Did Master Johan have a deep understanding of Contest Battles as well?

Back inside, Johan finally had a chance to examine Ceruledge properly.

In his mind, his Pokédex data appeared—

[Ceruledge]

Type: Fire/Ghost

Ability: Weak Armor

Moveset: Mean Look, Leer, Ember, Astonish, Clear Smog, Fire Spin, Will-O-Wisp, Night Shade, Flame Charge, Incinerate, Smog, Flamethrower, Overheat, Bitter Blade

Mood: Determined, Confident

("Defeating others is easy—defeating myself is the real challenge! The only opponent I must overcome... is me!")

Condition: Excellent

(Its armor seems very different from the usual 'Cursed Armor.' There are many hidden mechanisms within it.)

Friendship: 100

("I will make Johan the greatest trainer in the world!")

Ceruledge's stamina was a little low after the battle, but a quick rest would restore it.

At first glance, it didn't seem too different from an ordinary Ceruledge.

But—

It already knew Bitter Blade and Shadow Claw.

Soon, it would probably learn Swords Dance from Tinkaton.

With its speed and Bitter Blade's healing ability, Ceruledge would be a nightmare for opponents.

Especially since it had received Entei's blessing and carried a small fragment of the Sacred Fire of Life—

Bitter Blade's recovery effects were already showing clear results.

Johan could already see it—

'Hah! You can't even damage me—I heal more than you can hit!'

A life-stealing swordsman—who wouldn't fear that?

Then, he noticed something unusual in the Condition entry.

There was a special note about Ceruledge's armor.

Johan had assumed Tinkaton would forge two separate suits—one for each form.

But instead—

She only made one.

"Cha!"

Tinkaton smirked proudly.

This was her masterpiece.

She motioned for Ceruledge to do something.

"Goka?"

Following her instructions, Ceruledge grabbed a small lever on its chest—

And twisted it 180 degrees.

WHOOSH—

A strange glow enveloped its armor.

Gengar immediately recognized this energy—

It was the power of Celebi's time manipulation!

At the same time, the armor shifted and reformed, similar to Deoxys' ability to change forms.

Johan's eyes widened.

Wait—so that's it?!

No wonder Tinkaton only forged one suit.

This armor—

It could transform!

Flames erupted from Ceruledge's body—

And when the fire faded...

It was no longer Ceruledge.

It had become—

Armarouge.

Armarouge emerged from the fading flames, its golden armor gleaming like that of a proud warrior. A knight's helmet adorned its head, its crest resembling flames. Beneath the armor, its body was no longer ghostly blue but a deep, fiery crimson—like Charcadet had matured into a true warrior.

Armarouge!

"Armarouge, the Fire Warrior Pokémon. Fire/Psychic-type. It specializes in honorable duels and will defeat even the strongest of foes in direct combat—Roto! So cool!"

Rotom's voice trembled with excitement, as if it had been momentarily stunned by Armarouge's sheer presence.

It really worked!

Even though Johan had mentally prepared himself, he was still surprised that Tinkaton had actually succeeded in forging an armor that allowed for this transformation.

Sure, they had rare materials, and they had help from Entei, Celebi, and Deoxys, among others—

But still...

This was one of a kind in the entire Pokémon world!

Johan glanced at Tinkaton and muttered in amazement, "Tinkaton... you're practically a forging master now."

Armarouge, having transformed, inspected its hands and ran them over its armor, as if confirming its new state.

It could clearly feel the difference in power compared to before.

Meanwhile, Johan's Pokédex data updated itself.

[Armarouge]

Type: Fire/Psychic

Ability: Weak Armor

Moveset: Mean Look, Leer, Ember, Astonish, Clear Smog, Fire Spin, Will-O-Wisp, Night Shade, Flame Charge, Incinerate, Smog, Flamethrower, Overheat, Armor Cannon, Psyshock...

There it was—

Armor Cannon!

Armarouge's signature move. A 120-power Fire-type attack, stronger than Overheat, with perfect accuracy.

The downside? It lowered both Defense and Special Defense after use.

But who cared?!

With this level of destructive power, it was absolutely worth it!

"Too bad... Bitter Blade isn't available anymore." Johan sighed.

Still—

This was already beyond incredible.

He wouldn't dare ask for more.

"Cha!"

Tinkaton suddenly raised a finger and wagged it at Johan, as if saying: 'Not so fast.'

Huh?

She hopped over to Armarouge, gesturing excitedly.

Armarouge hesitated for a moment, then reached for its chest again—

And twisted the armor back.

WHOOSH—

A surge of ghostly blue flames erupted once more—

And in an instant, Ceruledge had returned.

What. The. Hell.

Rotom, Gengar, and Larvitar all reacted the same way—

Shock.

Their eyes sparkled with awe, much like a child seeing a superhero transformation for the first time.

Johan was just as stunned.

Tinkaton had actually done it.

"Wait a second... this means..."

Tinkaton smirked proudly.

Ceruledge could freely switch between Armarouge and Ceruledge using its armor.

Johan almost wanted to play theme music—

Something dramatic, something that screamed, 'This is peak awesomeness!'

Maybe something like...

'Big Brain Energy'...

No, wait. That was a meme.

Regardless—

This was insane!

Johan quickly noticed something, though.

While Ceruledge seemed like its natural state, transforming into Armarouge required extra energy.

Every transformation took a toll on its stamina.

"Cha~~"

Tinkaton gestured again.

This time, Ceruledge moved differently.

It twitched its left hand, and suddenly—

The armor split open.

Johan's eyes widened—

No way.

The ghostly blue sword was replaced by a golden cannon.

WHAT?!

THIS REALLY WAS OMEGAMON!

Johan almost spat out his drink.

He suddenly recalled Tinkaton's original blueprints for Charcadet's armor, where it had both a sword and a cannon.

At the time, they thought it was too ridiculous.

But now—

Here it was.

One arm held a ghostly blue blade.

The other arm had a fiery golden cannon.

For a brief moment—

The Pokédex glitched.

It actually couldn't recognize what this form was.

Then—

POOF!

The cannon vanished.

Ceruledge immediately stumbled, dropping to one knee.

The energy drain was too much.

Johan's mind raced.

Was the burden too great?

Or...

Was it just a matter of getting used to it?

For a split second, the Pokédex had recognized the change—

But the form had disappeared too quickly to register.

"Cha?"

Tinkaton tilted her head, deep in thought, tapping her hammer against her palm.

Clearly, she was already theorizing ways to improve it.

Johan suddenly had a wild thought.

What if...

During this transformation, he infused Ceruledge with Aura?

After all—Armarouge could use Aura Sphere.

Would that help?

No, no—too risky for now.

The last thing he needed was someone trying to capture Ceruledge for 'research.'

The Pokémon world was already full of crazy things.

Team Rocket had once developed an Eevee that could change evolutions at will without needing stones.

And let's not forget—

There was a fusion experiment combining all three Legendary Birds into one monster.

Compared to that, Ceruledge's transformation almost seemed normal.

Johan sighed, giving Ceruledge some Pokéblocks to help it recover.

Meanwhile, Tinkaton got to work patching up the armor, hammering away at any cracks.

Johan's eye twitched.

He finally noticed something.

The materials she was using...

Were all extremely rare metals.

How much was this costing him?!

Was every battle from now on going to be burning money?!

Of course, Ceruledge could repair itself over time.

But Tinkaton was a perfectionist. She refused to let even a single scratch remain.

Johan stared at the ceiling.

His expenses had just skyrocketed.

Once Tinkaton finished, Gengar, Rotom, and Larvitar immediately pulled her aside.

They had requests.

Ceruledge's armor was too cool.

Gengar wanted its own armor.

Rotom wanted to be a transforming robot.

And Larvitar...

Wanted everything.

Because, after all—

"Only kids make choices. I want it all!"

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Powerstones?

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