Pokemon: Spiritual Master

January 9th, early morning, bright and sunny.

At the outdoor dining table of the hot spring inn, Johan took a satisfying sip of his savory soy milk before pulling out a fried dough stick and stuffing it into his mouth.

He had to admit—ever since Rotom's capabilities had been gradually "unlocked," his methods and variety of cooking had completely expanded.

Flint casually walked out of his room and sat at the table, pouring himself a bowl of milky white soy milk. After taking a sip, he scooped in two heaping spoonfuls of sugar, making Johan's eye twitch.

"You heretic!"

"Huh?" Flint looked confused.

"I feel like Dragonite would be a great contender in a racing tournament," Cynthia commented, watching Dragonite joyfully soaring through the sky.

"A racing tournament?"

Johan squinted up at the sky, where Dragonite was gleefully zooming back and forth, mouth wide open.

Why was he starting to get the image of an oversized, winged husky pretending to be a dragon?

Shaking his head, he quickly pushed the thought away.

If he kept thinking like that, every time he looked at Dragonite, he'd associate it with that image.

Still, he had to admit, despite its chubby build, Dragonite was incredibly fast.

The racing tournaments Cynthia mentioned were actually one of many Pokémon competitions in the Pokémon world.

At the very least, they were more popular than ice sculpting contests.

And they had a huge following.

These races were divided into land-based and aerial categories.

For land races, Pokémon like Rapidash and Rhyhorn were commonly seen.

For example, in Pokémon XY, Serena was a highly skilled Rhyhorn racer.

Aerial races, on the other hand, were split into individual sprints, relay races, and more.

With a mouthful of steamed bun, Flint muttered, "Isn't Fortree City hosting the Wing Festival Tournament soon?"

"Hm?"

Johan paused.

Fortree City was the northernmost city in Hoenn, and its Gym Leader, Winona, specialized in Flying-type Pokémon. She was known as the "Elegant Sky Dancer."

Due to the geographical locations of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, Fortree City wasn't far from the southwestern part of Sinnoh, where they were now.

The Wing Festival Tournament was an annual event in Fortree City, celebrating the skies and featuring aerial Pokémon races.

However…

"How do you know so much about this?" Johan asked.

Flint didn't even own a Flying-type Pokémon.

Flint scratched his head sheepishly.

"Well… after last time… I, uh, thought about catching a Flying-type, so I started paying attention to the news."

"I'll introduce you to someone who can help."

Johan pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts.

Flint leaned in to look.

Even Cynthia glanced over curiously.

"L-Lance?!"

Flint froze when he saw the name.

He had once participated in an exhibition match in Sootopolis City alongside Cynthia, Lance, and Steven, so he was familiar with them.

Cynthia also paused for a moment when she saw Lance's name before smiling knowingly.

"Isn't Lance the 'Dragon Master'?" Flint asked.

Johan waved dismissively. "Doesn't matter. Trust me—if you need Flying-type Pokémon advice, he's your guy."

Flint imagined the scenario in his head:

He'd go to Lance for advice about Flying-type Pokémon.

Lance would glare at him and say, "Hmph! You're not even worth talking to!"

Flint shuddered.

Too risky.

But…

Now that he thought about it, most of Lance's Pokémon were Flying-types…

"I'll ask for you."

Johan, suddenly interested, immediately dialed Lance's number.

By now, Team Rocket should still be on their holiday break, right?

The call connected quickly.

"Lance, it's me. I have a friend, Flint, who wants to ask—"

Before he could finish, Lance's surprised voice came through.

"Johan? How did you know I was in Hoenn?"

"Huh?"

Johan blinked.

What was Lance doing in Hoenn?

"I was going to tell you once I arrived, but you called first. Is this what they call a bond between friends?"

Who wants a 'bond' with you, man?

Through the phone, Johan could also hear strong winds in the background.

"…Where are you?"

Before Lance could answer, another voice interrupted:

"Where do you think you're putting your hands?!"

The voice was slightly irritated but also had a hint of shyness.

That voice…

Clair?!

"Ah, sorry! I wasn't paying attention—" Lance hurriedly explained.

A mental image formed in Johan's mind:

Lance and Clair riding Dragonite, with Lance in front and Clair behind him…

And Lance's hand accidentally—

"Hmph!"

Clair's annoyed huff pulled him back to reality.

Johan shook his head.

If it were anyone else, he might have suspected it was intentional.

But Lance… this certified steel-hearted guy… probably did it by accident.

"Well, Johan, we're almost in Fortree City. You coming? The Wing Festival Tournament's happening," Lance said cheerfully.

Since it was a rare vacation, and the Investigation Bureau had nothing urgent, he had taken the chance to travel with Clair.

Hearing about the Wing Festival Tournament and the chance to meet old friends, they decided to go.

Johan glanced at Cynthia, ignoring Flint, who was frantically shaking his head.

Cynthia mouthed, We're still on vacation.

Johan got the message and said, "It's a bit far. We'll need some time."

"No worries. It hasn't started yet."

After a few more words, they hung up.

Johan shrugged and looked at Flint.

"See? A normal Dragon Master would join a Flying-type tournament."

Flint fell into deep thought.

Johan told his Pokémon about their plans to participate in the Wing Festival Tournament.

Hearing this, Dragonite was obviously ecstatic.

But the most excited one?

Tinkaton.

"Cha! ╰(°▽°)╯"

The little pink Pokémon rubbed its hammer, eyes shining.

Big birds… so many big birds!

—

Fortree City, Hoenn's northernmost city.

It wasn't a large city, but it was unique—known as the "Treehouse City," almost all of its buildings were constructed atop towering trees.

Frequent rainfalls caused the trees to grow taller than in most other places.

Wild Bug-type Pokémon could often be seen flitting about.

Studies even suggested that Fortree City's residents tended to be healthier and live longer.

But the city wasn't just forests and treehouses.

It also had open plazas and aerial platforms built for Flying Pokémon performances.

Johan and his group arrived at Fortree City's central plaza.

The area was bustling with activity.

Stalls lined the plaza, while various Flying-type Pokémon soared overhead—Pidgey, Pidgeot, Fearow, Crobat, Swellow…

There were even rarer Pokémon like Skarmory and Tropius.

"Tinkaton, stay calm. Don't forget our deal," Johan reminded, pressing a hand on its hammer.

The twin-tailed, pink Pokémon hesitated for a moment before nodding with difficulty.

"Cha…"

Who would've thought that this seemingly harmless little creature was actually a big bird hunter?

"So lively," Flint remarked.

Hands in his pockets, he smirked.

For a moment, he really looked like the protagonist of a martial arts film.

Johan glanced at him sideways.

A guy who didn't even own a Flying-type Pokémon… and yet, he was so invested in the Wing Festival Tournament.

"Flint, ever heard this saying?"

"What?"

"That year, I walked with my hands in my pockets, not knowing what defeat was."

Flint grinned—this totally fit him.

Then Johan added,

"The next year, I walked with my hands on my head, not knowing how to fight back."

Flint: "…"

Just then, Cynthia's eyes gleamed as she pointed at a dango stall.

"Johan, that one."

Clearly, she was struggling to decide and was asking for help.

"Three orders of brown sugar dango!" Johan declared generously.

—

"First, let's head to the café. Lance is waiting for us there."

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Powerstones?

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