For two consecutive days, Gengar went to the wetlands at night to absorb the vitality of the Slowpoke.
Slowpoke's Psychic typing was also highly beneficial for strengthening psychic power. Tetsuya also tried having Gengar absorb the vitality of that special Slowpoke, but the psychic barrier surrounding that Slowpoke had already taken shape. Even Gengar would be injured by the psychic force after approaching it, so he had no choice but to give up.
The power of this Slowpoke was already beginning to take form!
On Tetsuya's third day at the temple, everything remained as peaceful as ever.
However, Tetsuya had already shifted his observation point to Lake Slowpoke in front of Slowpoke Temple. This was the gateway to the temple. Under the pretense of training Shellder, he was actually watching to see whether any deliveries would arrive.
An entire day passed without anything unusual happening. Naturally, no delivery courier appeared either. Just as he was preparing to return, he suddenly heard the cry of a bird from the sky.
Looking up, he saw that it was Catherine's Skarmory slowly descending, with Catherine riding on its back.
Just before landing, Catherine leaped down.
"Thank you for your hard work, Catherine." Tetsuya said.
"Mm… it was nothing." Catherine still felt somewhat touched. Tetsuya had not immediately asked about the matter he had entrusted to her.
"Did everything go smoothly?"
"Very smoothly. With the amulet you gave me, I met the head priest of Ho-Oh Shrine that very day. After seeing the letters and bank card I gave him, he became extremely excited. The next day, he gathered all the information, including the bank card's deposit records and related documents.
Now he's determined to bring down the priest of this temple and completely ruin its reputation. Today he contacted media reporters, and they'll be arriving here tomorrow morning. I came ahead of time to let you know."
After Catherine finished speaking, Tetsuya finally put his mind at ease. Now all he needed to do was wait and watch "show" unfold. He was also very confident that after this incident, the nun would certainly agree to leave Slowpoke Temple with him.
"You shouldn't show yourself either. Let the people of Ho-Oh Shrine handle everything. It's best to avoid unnecessary trouble whenever possible," Tetsuya said.
"Don't worry. I'll set up a tent farther away," Catherine said.
Tetsuya nodded and returned to his room. The nun had already prepared food and called Tetsuya over for dinner.
During dinner, Tetsuya once again persuaded the nun to leave the temple. "After you leave Slowpoke Temple, just live at my house. I'll be on my Pokémon journey as an official Pokémon Trainer, and you can stay at home helping me take care of my Pokémon. Besides… this Slowpoke can keep you company as well."
Tetsuya's words in the last few days deeply moved the nun. If things happened that way, she would have family again…
After three days of consideration, she had already largely made up her mind. Life should not be wasted. Even if only one day remained in her life, she should still see how the world had changed over these past thirty years.
The nun wiped away her tears. "…Tomorrow I'll go speak with the priest. I… just need to say goodbye to Slowpoke. After all, it belongs to the temple…"
The nun had lived with this Slowpoke for more than ten years. Naturally, the one she worried about most was this exceptionally clumsy Slowpoke.
"It's alright. I'll buy this Slowpoke. I absolutely won't let you be lonely!" Tetsuya said.
"But the priest told me long ago that this Slowpoke wasn't for sale…" The elderly nun said.
"Don't worry. I have my own way. Just focus on resigning from your position with the priest." Since Tetsuya had said so, the nun found it difficult to ask further questions.
---◓---
It was another sleepless night. The plan he had been cooking for so long would finally reach its conclusion tomorrow. He drifted into a hazy sleep sometime before dawn.
Early in the morning, the sound of the temple bell could already be heard. Many people eager to offer the first incense of the day had already poured into the temple. After feeding his Pokémon, Tetsuya went to Lake Slowpoke and recalled Shellder.
After having breakfast with the nun, she began taking care of that Slowpoke. It was obvious that the bond between her and Slowpoke was very deep.
As the sun rose, chants echoed throughout the temple. The nun was also waiting for the morning lecture of the sages to end so that she could go and resign to the priest.
Very soon, the commotion within the temple shattered the sound of the chants, followed by waves of shouting and cursing.
Tetsuya knew that Ho-Oh Shrine's plan had begun.
The nun also sensed that something was wrong. Together, she and Tetsuya walked into the front yard. By this point, media reporters had already completely surrounded Slowpoke Temple.
A large number of ruffian-like figures had appeared in the courtyard, distributing copies of letters to every worshipper. They were the letters exchanged between the priest and Will's mother!
At that moment, the leader of the ruffians raised a loudspeaker and shouted, "Slowpoke Temple is nothing more than a place that scams people out of their money! See this priest? He looks like some enlightened sage of the legends, but he's actually a libertine. This wretch not only slept with a young woman… he even has an illegitimate child! These letters are the evidence!"
The uproar quickly intensified, and even the temple's deacons began to waver.
"You're talking nonsense! Who sent you here!?" Although the priest of Slowpoke Temple had no idea how these letters had ended up in these people's hands, the first thought that crossed his mind was that something must have happened to Will and his mother. Now he had to protect his reputation while also worrying about his… eh, wife? and child. For a moment, he was completely at a loss.
"Bastard! You still dare deny your own dirty deeds? The monthly money transfers to your woman and child can't be hidden forever!
Bahh! What a wonderful configuration~ Over here, you run a temple and earn dirty money, while over there, your woman and child spend it. Dear worshippers, if a priest wants to get married, he should just return to secular life. Why stay here scamming people for money!? And worshipping Slowpoke…? Do you really think we're all Slowpoke ourselves!!!?"
As soon as the ruffian leader spoke, his minions joined in the heckling. Many worshippers naturally became disgusted with the priest.
There was nothing wrong with a priest marrying and having children, but the biography engraved on the stone monument introducing the first priest of Slowpoke Temple described him as an enlightened sage free from worldly desires who had already severed all ties with the secular world. Yet now this had come to light.
Many worshippers immediately connected this revelation with the various exorbitant fees charged by Slowpoke Temple. It was practically extortion, and public outrage grew even stronger!
"Silence!"
The priest was already trapped with no way out. In a moment of panic, he threw out his Slowbro and immediately had it use Confusion to restrain the ruffian leader.
"Using offerings to defraud worshippers… wearing the face of an enlightened sage while committing indecent acts… exploiting a dull-witted Pokémon like Slowpoke to deceive worshippers… and now that you've been exposed… are you trying to murder someone to silence them!?"
A voice like a great bell resounded from outside the courtyard. Moments later, a Weavile darted forward with a series of agile leaps and quickly closed in on Slowbro. A single Feint Attack sent Slowbro flying.
A large group of more than a dozen individuals entered from outside the courtyard. All of them wore red kasaya. At the front was the priest of Ho-Oh Shrine.
The dozen or so individuals were all priests from temples across various regions, and after receiving the summons from the priest of Ho-Oh Shrine, they had all come.