NullPointerException while Mocking Mono.just using mockito - spring-boot

Question

### Method Implementation ###
WebClient apiClient ; // This is instantiated through constructor
Request req = new Request();
Mono<Response> monoResponse
try{
monoResponse = apiClient.method(HttpMethod.DELETE).header("Authorization",<somevalue>).contentType(MediaType.APPLIATION_JSON).body(Mono.just(req),Request.class).retrieve().bodyToMono(Response.class);
### Mock ###
#Mock WebClient.RequestBodyUriSpec requestBodyUriSpec;
#Mock WebClient.RequestHeaderSpec requestHeaderSpec;
#Mock WebClient.RequestBodySpec requestBodySpec;
#Mock WebClient.ResponseSpec responseSpec;
when(webClient.method(HttpMethod.DELETE).thenReturn(requestBodySpec);
when(requestBodySpec.header(any(),any())).thenReturn(requestBodySpec);
when(requestBodySpec.contentType(any())).thenReturn(requestBodySpec);
when(requestBodySpec.body(Mono.just(request),Request.class)).thenReturn(requestHeaderSpec); //**This line is showing NullPointerException**
when(requestHeaderSpec.retrieve()).thenReturn(responseSpec);
when(responseSpec.bodyToMono(ArgumentMatchers.<Class<Response>>notNull())).thenReturn(Mono.just(response));
Request and Response object is created, and the values are set for the mock. NullPpointerException is getting when my flow hits .retrieve() part of the code. Please, someone, help me.
### StackTrace ###
java.lang.NullPointerException
at Object.lambda$execute$1(Object.java:89)
at java.util.ArrayList.forEach(ArrayList.java:1259)
at Object.execute(Object.java:77)
at ObjectTest.execute(ObjectTest.java:197)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at org.junit.runners.model.FrameworkMethod$1.runReflectiveCall(FrameworkMethod.java:59)
at org.junit.internal.runners.model.ReflectiveCallable.run(ReflectiveCallable.java:12)
at org.junit.runners.model.FrameworkMethod.invokeExplosively(FrameworkMethod.java:56)
at org.junit.internal.runners.statements.InvokeMethod.evaluate(InvokeMethod.java:17)
at org.junit.internal.runners.statements.RunBefores.evaluate(RunBefores.java:26)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$3.evaluate(ParentRunner.java:306)
at org.junit.runners.BlockJUnit4ClassRunner$1.evaluate(BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.java:100)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.runLeaf(ParentRunner.java:366)
at org.junit.runners.BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.java:103)
at org.junit.runners.BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.runChild(BlockJUnit4ClassRunner.java:63)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$4.run(ParentRunner.java:331)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$1.schedule(ParentRunner.java:79)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.runChildren(ParentRunner.java:329)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.access$100(ParentRunner.java:66)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$2.evaluate(ParentRunner.java:293)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner$3.evaluate(ParentRunner.java:306)
at org.junit.runners.ParentRunner.run(ParentRunner.java:413)
at org.junit.runner.JUnitCore.run(JUnitCore.java:137)
at org.junit.runner.JUnitCore.run(JUnitCore.java:115)
at org.junit.vintage.engine.execution.RunnerExecutor.execute(RunnerExecutor.java:43)
at java.util.stream.ForEachOps$ForEachOp$OfRef.accept(ForEachOps.java:183)
at java.util.stream.ReferencePipeline$3$1.accept(ReferencePipeline.java:193)
at java.util.Iterator.forEachRemaining(Iterator.java:116)
at java.util.Spliterators$IteratorSpliterator.forEachRemaining(Spliterators.java:1801)
at java.util.stream.AbstractPipeline.copyInto(AbstractPipeline.java:482)
at java.util.stream.AbstractPipeline.wrapAndCopyInto(AbstractPipeline.java:472)
at java.util.stream.ForEachOps$ForEachOp.evaluateSequential(ForEachOps.java:150)
at java.util.stream.ForEachOps$ForEachOp$OfRef.evaluateSequential(ForEachOps.java:173)
at java.util.stream.AbstractPipeline.evaluate(AbstractPipeline.java:234)
at java.util.stream.ReferencePipeline.forEach(ReferencePipeline.java:485)
at org.junit.vintage.engine.VintageTestEngine.executeAllChildren(VintageTestEngine.java:82)
at org.junit.vintage.engine.VintageTestEngine.execute(VintageTestEngine.java:73)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.EngineExecutionOrchestrator.execute(EngineExecutionOrchestrator.java:108)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.EngineExecutionOrchestrator.execute(EngineExecutionOrchestrator.java:88)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.EngineExecutionOrchestrator.lambda$execute$0(EngineExecutionOrchestrator.java:54)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.EngineExecutionOrchestrator.withInterceptedStreams(EngineExecutionOrchestrator.java:67)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.EngineExecutionOrchestrator.execute(EngineExecutionOrchestrator.java:52)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.DefaultLauncher.execute(DefaultLauncher.java:96)
at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.DefaultLauncher.execute(DefaultLauncher.java:75)
at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.junitplatform.JUnitPlatformTestClassProcessor$CollectAllTestClassesExecutor.processAllTestClasses(JUnitPlatformTestClassProcessor.java:99)
at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.junitplatform.JUnitPlatformTestClassProcessor$CollectAllTestClassesExecutor.access$000(JUnitPlatformTestClassProcessor.java:79)
at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.junitplatform.JUnitPlatformTestClassProcessor.stop(JUnitPlatformTestClassProcessor.java:75)
at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.SuiteTestClassProcessor.stop(SuiteTestClassProcessor.java:61)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at org.gradle.internal.dispatch.ReflectionDispatch.dispatch(ReflectionDispatch.java:36)
at org.gradle.internal.dispatch.ReflectionDispatch.dispatch(ReflectionDispatch.java:24)
at org.gradle.internal.dispatch.ContextClassLoaderDispatch.dispatch(ContextClassLoaderDispatch.java:33)
at org.gradle.internal.dispatch.ProxyDispatchAdapter$DispatchingInvocationHandler.invoke(ProxyDispatchAdapter.java:94)
at com.sun.proxy.$Proxy2.stop(Unknown Source)
at org.gradle.api.internal.tasks.testing.worker.TestWorker.stop(TestWorker.java:135)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at org.gradle.internal.dispatch.ReflectionDispatch.dispatch(ReflectionDispatch.java:36)
at org.gradle.internal.dispatch.ReflectionDispatch.dispatch(ReflectionDispatch.java:24)
at org.gradle.internal.remote.internal.hub.MessageHubBackedObjectConnection$DispatchWrapper.dispatch(MessageHubBackedObjectConnection.java:182)
at org.gradle.internal.remote.internal.hub.MessageHubBackedObjectConnection$DispatchWrapper.dispatch(MessageHubBackedObjectConnection.java:164)
at org.gradle.internal.remote.internal.hub.MessageHub$Handler.run(MessageHub.java:414)
at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.ExecutorPolicy$CatchAndRecordFailures.onExecute(ExecutorPolicy.java:64)
at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.ManagedExecutorImpl$1.run(ManagedExecutorImpl.java:48)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1149)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:624)
at org.gradle.internal.concurrent.ThreadFactoryImpl$ManagedThreadRunnable.run(ThreadFactoryImpl.java:56)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:748)
ObjectTest > execute FAILED
java.lang.NullPointerException
at Object.lambda$execute$1(Object.java:89)
at java.util.ArrayList.forEach(ArrayList.java:1259)
at Object.execute(Object.java:77)
at Test.execute(Test.java:197)
1 test completed, 1 failed
> Task :test FAILED
FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.
StackTrace Included. I tried replacing body mock with this when(requestBodySpec.body(any())).thenReturn(requestHeadersSpec); as well. But no use. I think the problem is in mocking Mono.just object. Not sure what could be the issue. If there are different ways to mock mono.just object seperately and pass, please let me know.

Answer 1

As I am new to Mockito, and consider the time I got to fix this, I couldn't explore commented options.
I could fix this by changing this line:
when(requestBodySpec.body(Mono.just(request),Request.class)).thenReturn(requestHeaderSpec);
to
when(requestBodySpec.body(any(),eq(Request.class))).thenReturn(requestHeaderSpec);
This solved my Issue. Posting as this could help someone.