Pokemon: Psychic Master

Two days later, on Thursday, under clear skies.

Having wrapped up the Ice Sculpture Contest, Johan did not linger in Snowbelle City or even the Kalos region. After a brief stop in Lumiose City to pick up the Indeedee siblings and exchange contact information with the Coffee Couple, Johan flew back to Rustboro City in the Hoenn region.

From now on, all coffee beans for the "Ray of Sunshine" Café would be exclusively sourced from the Coffee Couple's estate. Thanks to their appreciation of Johan's character—and their financial independence—the beans were offered at an exceptionally fair price.

Today marked the first day back at home and the grand reopening of the café.

Johan woke up to find Gengar sprawled on the ceiling, fast asleep.

Even Gengar, it seemed, had wrapped itself in a blanket—though in this case, the blanket was a massive, tattered "Spell Tag."

There probably wasn't another Pokémon in the entire world who could boast such an oversized and peculiar sleeping companion.

Relieved to see Gengar behaving for once, Johan let out a small sigh.

The previous night, he'd dreamed of Mega Gengar punching Yveltal and stomping Groudon—a "super" scene that made him worry he might unconsciously yell, "Gengar, Mega Evolve!" in his sleep.

Such a command might truly turn Gengar into a "Great Demon King."

After all, Mega Gengar's ability changes to Shadow Tag, a trait with significant tactical implications.

[Shadow Tag]: Prevents all non-Ghost-type Pokémon without this ability from fleeing or switching during battle.

While not flashy on the surface, this ability synergizes perfectly with Gengar's combat style, much better than its usual Cursed Body.

Still... Johan couldn't help lamenting:

"Bring back Gengar's Levitate!"

If Mega Gengar ever went on a nighttime stroll, encountering it would be a nightmare for wild Pokémon:

"I want to flee, but I can't."

Add Kubfu's opportunistic toll collector nature and Tinkaton's sticky fingers, and it wouldn't just be impossible to escape—hiding possessions would be futile, too!

The New Unlawful Trio would make their grand debut.

Fortunately, Johan hadn't sleep-talked, and Gengar had remained unusually well-behaved for the night, likely drained from recent travels.

Thinking about that night with the poachers, Johan couldn't help but praise Gengar and the others for their outstanding performance.

"If you guys could bust poachers every night, I'd have no reason to stop you from roaming around."

However, Mega Evolution still required a tremendous amount of energy. Johan needed more practice, but finding someone experienced to learn from was difficult—hardly anyone in the world even knew about Mega Evolution yet.

Once Professor Sycamore's research progressed further, he planned to publish his findings.

At that point, the era of Mega Evolution would officially dawn.

Still, Johan had another lingering question:

Mega Evolution, Dynamax, and Terastalization were all distinct transformations. They seemed incompatible and couldn't coexist.

But... what about Z-Moves? Could they work alongside these transformations?

The thought was both thrilling and terrifying.

Shaking off these musings, Johan stretched and got out of bed. Pulling open the curtains, he was greeted by the chilly embrace of winter.

Frost sparkled on the streets, and a hazy condensation fogged the windows. Though snow hadn't fallen, the growing chill hinted that it was only a matter of time.

"Stepping out of bed feels warmer than staying in," Johan muttered as he glanced at Vulpix.

Vulpix, for its part, seemed oblivious to the fact that it was an Ice-type Pokémon. Despite its natural resistance to cold, it loved burrowing under the covers at night.

Since the Ice Sculpture Contest, its confidence had soared. The feather from Articuno further bolstered its aura of frosty determination. Johan simply hoped the little fox's icy tail wouldn't freeze him completely before spring arrived.

"Oowu~~"

Rubbing its eyes, Vulpix hopped off the bed and joined Johan by the window to enjoy the view.

"You can take another nap if you want," Johan said with a smile, scratching its head.

"Oowu~"

The obedient fox nodded before curling back up.

Downstairs, the house bustled to life as the rest of Johan's Pokémon woke up. Amid the activity, he turned his attention to the newest members of the household: the Indeedee siblings.

The two had been given their own room as part of their employee benefits.

Upon waking, the Indeedee siblings were already donning the new uniforms Johan had prepared for them—gifts he'd promised back in Snowbelle City.

Both siblings seemed delighted with their outfits, especially the sister, who twirled happily in front of the mirror.

"Good morning," Johan greeted them.

"Indeedee~~ (｡⌒⌒｡)"

"Inde... Indeedee~~ (o////o)"

Before Johan even got out of his room, the siblings had already cleaned both the upstairs living quarters and the café downstairs.

Indeedee's Psychic powers made household chores a breeze:

Brooms swept floors on their own. Cloths wiped windows effortlessly. Mops danced across the tiles as if enchanted.

With two Psychic Pokémon in the mix, the café was spotless in record time.

Yet, Johan couldn't help noticing something peculiar.

The sister's Psychic power was leagues ahead of her brother's.

In fact, Gengar and Vulpix privately confided to Johan that her Psychic strength might even surpass Vulpix's.

The realization left Johan slightly dazed.

Another "special case"?

He quickly dismissed the thought.

Unlike his battle-ready Pokémon, the Indeedee siblings were here to "work," not fight.

Still, a fleeting idea crossed his mind:

If I can't assemble a full team for the Indigo League, could I ask the sister to stand in?

Of course, she wouldn't need to fight—just fill the sixth slot.

Ultimately, Johan shook off the thought. The siblings already handled so much: baking, serving, cleaning, assisting with therapy...

"Better not push my luck," he sighed.

After breakfast, the café reopened to a stream of curious customers.

While some regulars were initially wary of the staff changes, their doubts vanished the moment they tasted the new coffee and pastries.

"Wow, this cake is amazing!"

"The coffee tastes different but just as good!"

"I love it! Everything feels so fresh!"

Meanwhile, the Indeedee siblings became crowd favorites. Customers couldn't stop gushing:

"So cute! Can I hug them?"

"They're absolutely adorable!"

As Johan watched the siblings handle their work with grace, he nodded in satisfaction.

Outside in the backyard, Johan tended to his special radish seedlings.

"Ka-kah!"

Gengar crouched near the bed containing the "Spirit Cloth" soil, excitedly pointing at a sprout poking through the earth.

"Oowu..."

On the frosty side, Vulpix carefully examined the snow-covered soil, spotting a tiny green nub barely peeking out.

The radishes were sprouting, albeit slowly.

But with a little help—such as adding the "special snowballs" gifted by the Abomasnow—growth would surely accelerate.

"It's working," Johan murmured.

As his Pokémon busied themselves watering the plants, Johan couldn't help feeling proud of their efforts.

"Let's just hope no wild Pokémon comes along to ruin all this progress," he joked.

Inwardly, however, he began contemplating ways to further enhance the crop's growth rate.

"Maybe... I need a little help from a certain crown-wearing Pokémon."

Far away, in Galar's Crown Tundra, a peculiar Pokémon resembling a white rabbit sneezed, rubbing its nose before settling back into a deep slumber.

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Powerstones?

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