Tetsuya and Catherine continued on their way toward Ecruteak City, traveling nonstop to put as much distance as possible between themselves and that troublesome place.
Only after the sun had set did they stop by a lakeside.
"Judging by the look on your face, things must have gone quite smoothly, huh. You've finally settled the grudges of your past."
"…Un."
After Catherine spoke, Tetsuya remembered the lie he had told her and could only nod to avoid any awkwardness.
However, this only deepened Catherine's obsession with avenging her family, because she still did not even know who the mastermind behind the scheme against her family was.
Tetsuya released all of his Pokémon, preparing to plan Slowpoke's Evolution into Slowbro. After all, Slowpoke was only a Pokémon the old nun had "temporarily" entrusted to him. If she were here, she might not necessarily agree to let Slowpoke evolve into Slowbro. In the nun's eyes, Slowpoke was still a child. She had no idea that this was a Pokémon with Champion-level potential.
The veteran members of the team, such as Mamoswine, all looked at the two new faces and waited for Tetsuya to introduce them.
Slowpoke seemed completely detached from everything around it, simply staring blankly into the distance with an indescribably awkward expression…
"… … …"
Tetsuya could only introduce Shellder first.
"This…-" Just as he was about to begin, an astonishing twist unfolded!
It was as if Slowpoke had some kind of mysterious charm. Shellder actually took the initiative to bite Slowpoke's tail…
The Shellder of Lake Slowpoke had all been influenced by the teachings of the deacons and would only latch onto those who were free of worldly desires. That Shellder would actively bite Slowpoke's tail was something even Tetsuya had not expected, yet it was enough to demonstrate the value of this Slowpoke.
Shellder bit Slowpoke's tail, and before Slowpoke could even react, its body was already enveloped in white light.
The powerful psychic aura was so overwhelming that even Mamoswine and Golurk could not withstand it and were forced to retreat continuously!
Gengar also kept urging Tetsuya to move away from Slowpoke, because the psychic force erupting from its Evolution was simply too strong.
"I… I feel like all my psychic training was for nothing…"
Gengar transmitted the thought to Tetsuya. This sense of helplessness came straight from the heart. Slowpoke's psychic capabilities had not even fully taken shape yet, and it already had such power.
Even Gengar could not help lamenting that all its psychic training seemed meaningless.
Tetsuya had personally witnessed the power it would own once it fully matured in his previous life. With this Slowbro alone, Will had been able to sit firmly in the Elite Four position, and its psychic power was virtually unmatched in the world.
"What it excels at is psychic powers, and very few Pokémon besides Legendary Pokémon can compete with it in that regard, so there's no need to sigh." Tetsuya comforted Gengar through telepathy. Their morale could not be allowed to suffer.
Indeed, no matter how hard Gengar worked, it could never surpass Slowbro in terms of psychic capabilities. Moreover, Gengar's strength was not limited to psychic alone.
Tetsuya's own psychic power was nowhere near comparable to Slowbro's. Could it be that just because he could not surpass it, he should give up?
The psychic powers Tetsuya possessed was already enough to secure him a place in this world!
"Slow…"
As the white light faded, the immense psychic energy from moments ago formed a protective layer of Psychic-type energy around Slowbro's body. Standing upright on two legs, with a spiral Shellder attached to its tail, Slowpoke had already evolved into Slowbro.
However, for Slowpoke, there was practically no difference between evolving and not evolving. It still stared blankly into the distance, pondering its three questions. Gradually, though, it would begin to sense the improvement in its abilities.
Tetsuya placed Slowbro's food by its mouth and had to feed it little by little himself.
'… … …?' Slowbro's eyes finally reflected his presence. He was also the person the nun had mentioned, so Slowbro did not resist and simply enjoyed its food.
As for Miltank milk, ugh, Tetsuya did not dare give any to Slowbro. If it ate and then did not move at all… if that continued, it might really end up with a bucket-shaped waist like Miltank!
This Slowbro's psychic capabilities were already all-purpose, capable of both offense and defense. There was no need to improve its physical condition to increase its defensive capabilities.
Moreover, with its psychic barrier, Slowbro could perfectly fit into any of Tetsuya's core battle teams. It did not fear damage from Hail and could cooperate with Mamoswine. It was also immune to poison and could compensate for the lack of long-range offense in his Poison-type team.
Now that this Slowbro was finally his… kinda, all the effort and money he had invested beforehand had been worthwhile!
At the moment, Tetsuya was not in a hurry to do anything specific with Slowbro. Building a bond was the most important thing. As long as its psychic powers became strong enough, using it would come naturally.
---◓---
The other Pokémon were still doing their nighttime training, while Slowbro continued staring into the distance without the slightest distraction.
Early the next morning, the other Pokémon had already finished breakfast and were doing their morning training with Miltank's help, while Tetsuya was leading Slowbro toward the lakeside. Even something as simple as washing its face required Tetsuya's assistance.
However, the way Tetsuya treated Slowbro made Mamoswine, Golurk, and the others somewhat jealous… Tetsuya was usually very strict with them. Unless they were sick, none of them had ever received such treatment. They all wondered why Tetsuya treated such a, eh… dense? Pokémon so well.
Could it really be as simple as caring for a disabled Pokémon?
Even Catherine felt that something was not quite right. Tetsuya had always been interested only in powerful Pokémon. Even those that were not strong had some special value. Moreover, harsh training had always been Tetsuya's guiding principle. Yet this Slowbro was being treated as though he were taking care of a child…
Although it had manifested terrific energy during its Evolution yesterday, in its current state, it was hard to tell whether it could even battle, let alone have any combat power.
"Your actions seem to be very difficult for them to understand. Isn't it about time you explained?" Gengar transmitted the thought.
"I don't think that's necessary. You should be able to sense this Slowbro's power. I believe it will reveal itself very soon." Tetsuya replied to Gengar in his mind.
In truth, words alone would not calm the others. Only Slowbro's power could do that.
Arriving at a rock by the waterside, Tetsuya had just scooped up a handful of water and was about to wash Slowbro's face…
Because Slowbro had only just evolved, traces of Slowpoke's aura still lingered. Seven or eight Shellder leaped from the lake and prepared to bite Slowbro.
At this moment, Tetsuya stepped far back. Slowpoke had already evolved, and the psychic barrier surrounding its body had become even stronger. Furthermore, when it was a Slowpoke, its tail had originally been used for fishing, and that area had never been protected by psychic energy. Therefore, unlike Tetsuya's Shellder, these Shellder could not bite Slowpoke's tail so easily.
The current Slowbro had flawless psychic protection covering its entire body!