"Who?" A cold male voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Hello, it was Principal Saul Badman who asked me to make this call. He said that you have a way to unlock the spell ring on Pokémon. I would like to consult with you," John said, getting straight to the point.
When he got the phone number, John called immediately upon returning to his bedroom.
Hearing the mention of Saul Badman on the other end, the person on the phone paused noticeably, and the coldness in his voice quietly faded. "I have done some research on the spell ring, but I can't say for sure until I see it with my own eyes."
"It will take me about ten days to return to the country. I'll contact you then."
"Uh... I'm sorry, but I have to go abroad the day after tomorrow, and I don't know when I'll be back. How about I call you when I return, and we arrange a meeting then?" John had assumed the person was in Riverstone and was hoping to take care of this issue tomorrow. He hadn't expected them to be abroad.
Haunter's evolution into Gengar would have to be postponed.
"Okay." The other end of the phone agreed without hesitation.
It wasn't until he hung up that John realized he hadn't even asked for the person's name.
Forget it, I'll ask next time.
An island inhabited solely by Ghost-type Pokémon.
The entire island was covered in eerie rocks and twisted, lifeless plants. Ghostly wails echoed through the air, and legends spoke of it being the gateway to the underworld.
Internationally, Halloween Island was classified as a Class A dangerous zone.
Trainers below the Gym Leader level were strictly prohibited from entering.
And yet, in this forbidding land, two young men, one tall and one short, strolled casually. Behind them, two Gengars followed.
"Chris, Dusknoir is about to devour Banette."
"An Alpha Dusknoir that has mastered the power of Curse... With that, we could actually try for the championship," Bob said excitedly. They had been in this treacherous place for months, and now, finally, they were close to their goal.
Chris nodded, pocketing his phone. "When will the professor take on new students again?"
Bob hesitated before shaking his head. "Not sure. When I last contacted Mason, he didn't mention anything. Why? Did the professor call you?"
Chris shook his head slightly and walked deeper into the island. "Once we wrap things up here, I'll head back. I'll find out then."
--------------------------
For the next two days, since the protagonist in his Gameboy was still soaring through the skies, John's life was a little more monotonous than usual. Aside from attending classes, he spent most of his time training his Pokémon at home.
Especially his newly acquired Shiny Gyarados, which needed to be properly tamed. Perhaps due to the chaos at the Lake of Rage, even after being caught, it was still defiant and showed little trust in John.
When he first released it in the real world, the Red Gyarados immediately tried to reenact the disaster at the lake.
Fortunately, John had anticipated this. He summoned his Magnezone, which he had caught at an underground power plant and now used as the main energy source for his villa.
John had equipped Magnezone with Zap Cannon.
One well-placed Thunderbolt later, and the Red Gyarados learned its lesson.
From that point on, it followed John's commands obediently, showing no resistance, even when it became enraged.
According to the Pokédex, Gyarados would still obey a Trainer it respected, even in extreme rage.
John had truly subdued the Red Gyarados.
Lately, he had enjoyed using it as a mount for water races. With a rope tied securely, riding the Gyarados felt like controlling a speeding sea train—fast and steady.
He could now understand how that Trainer had felt during the last water race, just before getting obliterated.
Winning a professional water race on Gyarados was no easy feat!
Aside from training Gyarados, John kept a close eye on the progress of all his Pokémon, assigning them new training regimens to improve their skills and abilities.
Two days passed like grains of sand slipping through his fingers.
The day of the breeding camp trip arrived.
John packed lightly, carrying only a backpack and a small suitcase filled with a change of clothes—mainly for show. His real luggage was stored in his secret base, ready to be retrieved at any time.
They were to meet at the school gates before taking a bus to the airport.
John arrived early—half an hour before departure—but most of the group was already there.
Scarlett's research team wasn't missing either, though only two students were participating in the camp.
John had overheard that the school had only selected three students for this event: one sophomore and two freshmen.
He didn't know who the sophomore was, but besides himself, the only other freshman chosen was Ricardo.
When John arrived, Ricardo was already there, a book in hand, Lucario standing faithfully beside him.
"So, it evolved into Lucario already, huh?" John mused. Riolu could only evolve through high friendship.
It seemed Ricardo had spent a great deal of time bonding with it.
Of course, it was also possible that his natural aura abilities played a role. People with the power of Aura could sense the emotions of living beings, making it incredibly easy to form strong bonds with Pokémon.
That ability was completely overpowered for a Breeder.
"John!" Someone called his name.
Turning in the direction of the voice, he saw a stylish woman in a brown trench coat, carrying a briefcase. It was Scarlett.
She drew plenty of attention from both male and female students as she walked through the school's main road.
"Professor Scarlett," John greeted respectfully.
Scarlett nodded before instructing, "Stick with the research team during the trip."
John had expected as much—there was no way Scarlett had recommended him to Principal Badman without a reason.
"So, where exactly are we going?" he asked, curious.
The Breeders' Conference was held abroad, but with so many countries out there, he had no clue where they were headed.