Pokemon: Psychic Master

As the flames on Charcadet flared up, Johan finally saw the Pokémon's entry in his Pokédex.

[Charcadet]

Type: Fire

Ability: Flame Body

Known Moves: Mean Look, Leer, Ember, Astonish, Clear Smog, Fire Spin, Will-O-Wisp, Night Shade, Flame Charge, Incinerate, Smokescreen, Flamethrower

Mood: Joyful, Confident (When I fully unleash my potential, I'll make every enemy tremble in fear!)

Condition: Excellent (The flames inside its body are overflowing, as if ready to erupt!)

Friendliness: 80 (It has sensed the kindness in your aura!)

"Wow."

Johan marveled at how many moves Charcadet already knew. It had learned almost every move it could by leveling up, plus Flamethrower — which typically required a TM.

Sure, its move pool still had room to grow, but overall…

Not bad at all.

Apart from the potential cost of needing a lot of charcoal, Charcadet seemed like a great addition to his team.

Johan noticed something else — many of Charcadet's moves overlapped with those of his Gengar, like Astonish, Will-O-Wisp, and Night Shade.

Since Charcadet was a spirit that inhabited a piece of burning charcoal, it made sense that it had some ghostly traits.

Gengar could probably help it perfect those ghost-type moves.

What's more, Johan could feel both aura energy and psychic energy radiating from Charcadet.

Given that Charcadet's evolutions, Ceruledge and Armarouge, both had psychic-type capabilities, this wasn't surprising.

"Why does it seem so… authoritative?" Johan asked, noticing the respect Charcadet commanded from the other Pokémon.

The old caretaker chuckled.

"In any breeding facility, you need a few leader Pokémon to keep things running smoothly. They help settle disputes and maintain order."

"Wait… so you're saying this Charcadet is like the leader of the troublemakers?"

The old man nodded.

Johan glanced at Charcadet, now standing with its arms crossed.

A leader of troublemakers…

A troublemaker king?!

"Goka?"

Suddenly, Charcadet's aura and psychic energy rippled outward as it scanned its surroundings.

With a quick bend of its knees, flames erupted from its feet, and it launched itself like a rocket toward the lake in the distance.

BOOM!

A trail of scorched earth marked its path, the ground blackened by the intense heat.

[Flame Charge: A fire-type move with 50 base power that increases the user's Speed by one stage.]

Johan's eyes twitched.

"Wait… that's Flame Charge?"

It looked more like Flare Blitz.

He'd seen Flare Blitz during the Indigo League — this was way too intense for a simple Flame Charge.

"Come on, let's follow it," the caretaker said, leading Johan toward the lake.

When they arrived, they saw a Kingler and a Pinsir locked in a tense standoff by the water's edge.

Kingler's massive claw was raised, while Pinsir's menacing horns clashed together with loud clacking noises.

Between them sat a single, round purple berry.

It didn't take Johan long to figure out what was happening.

They're fighting over the berry.

"So that's why Charcadet trained its aura and psychic senses…" Johan realized.

Charcadet must have honed its abilities to detect conflicts and handle disputes quickly.

Charcadet strode confidently toward the two Pokémon, its flames flickering.

Johan tensed — Pinsir was a bug-type, but Kingler was a water-type.

Should he warn Charcadet?

Before he could speak, the caretaker grinned.

"Relax. Just watch."

Johan stayed quiet, trusting the old man's judgment.

Pinsir and Kingler both turned toward Charcadet. The moment they saw it, they immediately lowered their weapons.

Their threatening postures softened, replaced with awkward, sheepish smiles.

Charcadet's expression remained stern.

"Goka!" it barked.

(Let's settle this peacefully!)

Pinsir and Kingler exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

Charcadet knelt down, picked up the berry, and split it in half.

It handed one piece to each of the quarreling Pokémon.

A fair solution.

In response, both Kingler and Pinsir split their halves again and gave a portion back to Charcadet.

Johan's jaw dropped.

"…What?"

"They're showing respect," the caretaker explained.

"It's a tradition here. If Charcadet didn't accept their gift, they wouldn't eat the berry at all."

Johan rubbed his temples.

What kind of bizarre tradition is this?

Charcadet returned to Johan, holding one-fourth of the berry in its hand.

"Goka!"

(Here, for you!)

"…For me?"

"Goka!"

Charcadet nodded firmly.

"Thanks." Johan accepted the berry without hesitation and took a bite.

The juice burst in his mouth, filling it with a sweet, refreshing flavor.

"…Sweet!"

Seeing Johan enjoy the berry, Charcadet smiled and tossed the remaining piece into its own mouth.

The caretaker watched in surprise.

"This kid eats Pokémon berries like it's second nature…"

He sighed softly.

Charcadet's willingness to share means it's fully accepted him as its trainer.

As they returned to the wooden lodge, Johan walked ahead with Charcadet, who now strutted along like a confident king.

Waiting outside was Martin, the academy's head of administration.

"You've chosen your Pokémon?" Martin asked, eyeing Charcadet.

"Yep." Johan nodded.

"Charcadet, huh?"

Martin turned to the caretaker for confirmation.

The old man chuckled, though there was a hint of reluctance in his voice.

"Yep. And not just any Charcadet — the best one we have."

Martin grinned and patted Johan's shoulder.

"See? I told you picking a troublemaker would work out!"

Johan shot him a glare.

"Thanks a lot."

Back at home, Johan released his Pokémon one by one.

"Goka?"

Charcadet glanced at them curiously.

"This is our new teammate, Charcadet," Johan announced.

Then he turned to Charcadet.

"These are—"

"Goka!"

Before Johan could finish, Charcadet proudly introduced itself, waving to each Pokémon in turn.

"Oh no…" Johan realized.

Is Charcadet… an extrovert? A social butterfly? A networking genius?!

Gengar quickly took a liking to Charcadet.

Despite their opposing elements — Gengar being a cold, ghostly presence and Charcadet exuding warmth — they clicked immediately.

Before long, Charcadet had won over everyone in Johan's team, including Rotom and the Indeedee siblings.

Even the shy, introverted Ninetales seemed at ease around Charcadet.

One's fire, the other's ice. One's an extrovert, the other's an introvert.

They balanced each other perfectly.

"Ka-kah~~!"

"Goka~~!"

Gengar and Charcadet wandered off together, laughing like old friends.

Johan sighed in relief.

The house felt warmer already.

"This winter… looks like I'll make it through just fine."

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Powerstones?

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