Johan—The Sky Is Falling! (BONUS)

Year-end bonus?

The academy hadn't even issued its year-end rewards yet, but Team Rocket had already sent theirs?

No doubt about it—Team Rocket really knew how to take care of its people.

"Couldn't you just send it over with a Delibird?" Johan asked.

"The item is quite valuable. It must be delivered to you in person," Matori replied, sounding unusually serious.

This only made Johan more curious—what kind of year-end reward had they prepared for him?

Surely not… a Pokémon?

"Alright then, I'm in Snowpoint City right now—"

Before he could finish, Matori interrupted, sounding surprised.

"Johan, you're in Snowpoint City?"

"...What do you mean?"

From her tone—

Wait.

"...Are you in Snowpoint City?" Johan asked in return.

"Of course," Matori said as if it were obvious. "We have a few scenes to shoot that require a snowy backdrop."

...Scenes?

Johan thought about it carefully and—

There were some scenes in his script that needed a snowy setting!

Then it made sense.

Aside from Sinnoh, Hoenn didn't get much snow due to Mt. Chimney. Even when it did snow, it was usually too light for the desired effect.

Kanto and Johto did have snowfall, but their best locations…

Were in Mt. Silver.

And sending Team Rocket to shoot a film on Mt. Silver?

That was basically asking for a death wish.

Besides, according to Johan's script, the setting was in a mountain villa, and there weren't many of those in snowy mountain ranges.

So Snowpoint City was indeed the best option.

"Ahem, alright then. Send me the location, and I'll come find you tomorrow," Johan said.

It was best to avoid being seen with Team Rocket too often.

Sure, Matori and the trio's identities hadn't really been exposed, but—

With those three, you could never be too careful.

"Understood."

Shortly after, Matori sent Johan their current filming location.

—

Sinnoh, Mt. Coronet—A Magnetic Field Disturbance Zone.

A middle-aged man with short light blue hair, a black suit, and nearly invisible eyebrows stood in the snow, his expression cold and detached.

He threw out two Poké Balls, summoning a Nosepass and a Magneton.

Under the influence of Mt. Coronet's special magnetic field, both Pokémon immediately erupted with a blinding evolutionary glow.

The powerful magnetic surge caused the surrounding snowstorm to intensify, even triggering small avalanches in the mountains.

But the man remained calm, completely unaffected.

He watched as the evolution light faded, revealing a Probopass and a Magnezone.

Then, with a flick of his hand, he gave an order—

"Destroy it."

Zzzzt!

Electric waves pulsed from Probopass and Magnezone.

The powerful electromagnetic field they unleashed violently disrupted the area's natural magnetic field—shattering it completely!

RUMBLE—

The ground shook as the altered magnetic field disrupted the mountain's balance.

Deep within the earth—

A force began stirring.

Something ancient, something powerful.

But the man simply calmly retrieved his Poké Balls and pulled out his phone.

He dialed a number.

"Hello? It's me, J."

A woman's voice answered on the other end.

If Johan were here, he would have instantly recognized—

This man was Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic!

Currently posing as a prominent Sinnoh businessman.

And the woman on the call?

The infamous Pokémon Hunter—J.

The leader of one of the largest Pokémon hunter organizations in the world!

Cyrus spoke flatly:

"I've done what I promised. The rest is up to you."

After a brief silence, Hunter J responded.

"I understand. Once I shake off the damn League enforcers, I'll capture the Pokémon you want."

Two days ago—

The Pokémon hunters Johan helped capture had leaked one of Hunter J's secret bases to the Sinnoh League.

As a result—

Hunter J had been relentlessly pursued by both the Sinnoh League and Interpol.

Though she was too skilled to be caught so easily, the attacks had significantly hurt her operations.

To escape, she had struck a deal with Cyrus—

If Team Galactic could create a distraction for the Sinnoh League, she'd capture any Pokémon Cyrus wanted.

And since Cyrus wasn't ready to reveal himself just yet—

He used another method.

For years, Team Galactic had been scouring Mt. Coronet, searching for the Spear Pillar.

During that time, Saturn, their lead scientist, had discovered this magnetic anomaly.

After numerous tests, they confirmed—

Destroying this magnetic field would destabilize Mt. Coronet, triggering environmental disasters across Sinnoh.

By creating chaos, they could divert the League's attention, allowing Hunter J's team to escape unnoticed.

After hanging up, Cyrus stood atop the mountain, looking down at Sinnoh.

Disgust flickered in his eyes.

"Consider this… a small wake-up call for this flawed world…"

—

The Next Day.

The sky was clear.

But the wind and snow from Mt. Coronet seemed stronger than before.

Sunlight glittered off the swirling snowflakes, casting a prismatic glow over Snowpoint City.

The entire city looked like it was wrapped in a dreamlike veil.

"...Another beautiful day," Johan sighed, stretching as he stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Frost had crystallized on the glass, but inside the hotel, it was warm and cozy.

"Good work, Charcadet," Johan praised.

"Goka~~"

Charcadet grinned.

Suppressing its internal heat emissions was good training.

It tossed the last of its charcoal stash into its mouth, crunching down loudly.

Johan twitched.

Great.

It had already finished one of its two remaining charcoals.

At this rate… he'd have to stock up soon.

"Money just disappears in the blink of an eye…"

Johan sighed.

"Hopefully, Team Rocket's year-end bonus can make up for it."

Oowoo~~

Ninetales stretched lazily on the bed, scattering small ice crystals.

Not just Charcadet—

Even Ninetales was improving its control over its natural cold aura.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Wrapped in its giant spirit cloth, Gengar rolled over on the ceiling, still asleep.

Judging by how refreshed it looked—

Last night, the city's wild Pokémon must have gotten a very… "friendly" visit.

As Dragonite blinked in confusion, Johan suddenly landed a flurry of punches on its belly, feeling refreshed.

With the team awake, they ate breakfast, said goodbye to Cynthia's group, and headed out.

Following Rotom's navigation, Johan soon arrived at Team Rocket's location—

A villa on the outskirts of Snowpoint City.

From a distance—

He spotted the trio suspiciously burying something in the snow.

Yet, they hadn't noticed him approaching.

"You guys…"

At the sound of his voice, the trio jumped and whirled around.

When they saw him—

"JOHAN!! (Д｀)" ×3

"SOO-NANCE!! (＞Д＜)ゝ"

They immediately pounced, clinging to him.

Johan felt his eye twitch.

What had he just walked into?

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Powerstones?

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