At the hotel, Sam leaned against the balcony railing, holding the Spirit Essence the system had rewarded him.
It was an exquisite emerald-green gemstone, ice-cold to the touch. The moment he held it, he could clearly feel the immense psychic power contained within.
Sam even had the absurd thought that if he turned it into jewelry and wore it every day, he might learn Psychic within a month.
Psychic.
After a moment, he shook his head and dismissed the idea.
In the Pokémon world, Psychic wasn't some rare, godlike ability. With enough talent and effort, many people could learn it. For most, it amounted to little more than bending spoons. True prodigies like Sabrina were exceedingly rare.
Compared to learning Psychic himself, Sam felt the Spirit Essence would be better used elsewhere.
Behind him, Deoxys's core pulsed urgently, flashing with purple light as if impatient.
"Alright, alright, I get it. Don't rush me."
Sam smiled helplessly. After confirming the Spirit Essence wouldn't greatly benefit him personally, he decided to let Deoxys absorb it.
He walked over and gently placed the gemstone beside Deoxys's core.
He could clearly feel the excitement emanating from within.
The moment the core touched the Spirit Essence, the emerald gem began losing its brilliance at a visible rate. Its vibrant glow faded almost instantly.
Meanwhile, Deoxys's core grew more radiant, shimmering with layered colors.
The energy inside the Spirit Essence was nearly drained.
Just as Sam assumed Deoxys would absorb every last trace—
—it stopped.
Stopped?
Sam frowned in confusion. Deoxys clearly hadn't fully recovered yet. Every bit of energy should have been valuable.
But Deoxys gently pushed back the gemstone, leaving a small portion of energy inside, as if embarrassed.
Sam chuckled softly.
He had always invested heavily in nurturing Deoxys's core, but deep down he had wondered—
Was this a wise investment?
Or was he raising a wolf that might one day turn on him?
When the wolf awakened, would it repay him—
—or bite his throat?
Now, however, he felt reassured.
Just as he had believed from the beginning, Deoxys was not a malicious Pokémon.
Even if he failed to capture it after its revival, he was confident he would at least earn its gratitude.
He lightly tossed the now-dim emerald gem in his hand and smiled.
---
At the Pokémon Center, Gengar had just been teleported over.
The moment it saw Sam, it burst into excitement.
"Koujie! Koujie!"
"Gengar, long time no see."
It had been over half a month since Gengar trained at Professor Oak's lab. The change was obvious.
Its presence was far more restrained now. Unless someone focused carefully, it was difficult to notice it—especially at night. It truly felt like a phantom lurking in darkness.
Pokémon: Gengar (Shiny)
Type: Ghost / Poison
Ability: Cursed Body
Strength: Elite High
Potential: Champion
After absorbing the Ghost-type energy from the Mega Evolution Stone, Gengar had reached Elite High level—only one step away from the Champion tier.
More importantly, it had completely mastered the secrets of Mega Evolution. With the Key Stone in Sam's possession, all conditions were ready.
A Mega-Evolved Gengar…
Sam couldn't help but feel excited.
Deoxys was close to awakening.
Gengar had grown tremendously.
Everything was moving in the right direction.
---
Outside a beachside ice cream shop, Cynthia stood deep in thought.
"Vanilla… no. Strawberry… no… maybe vanilla…"
If Sam wasn't mistaken, she had been debating for nearly ten minutes.
The shop owner looked visibly relieved when she finally made her decision, quickly preparing two cones before she could change her mind again.
Cynthia took the ice cream and smiled brightly, licking it with pure satisfaction.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Shellos at her feet protested loudly, dissatisfied with being left out.
"Alright, alright, I understand."
Cynthia sighed and crouched down, offering the strawberry cone to Shellos.
Shellos swallowed it in one bite.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Still not satisfied, it turned greedy eyes toward Cynthia's own ice cream.
"No." Cynthia immediately took a large bite. "Everything else is negotiable. Ice cream is not."
Watching the Sinnoh Champion bicker with her own Pokémon like children, Sam felt speechless.
The legendary Champion of Sinnoh…
…had such an unexpectedly childish side.
But strangely—
it wasn't unpleasant.
After finishing the last bite, Cynthia looked thoroughly content.
"Ah, being able to eat delicious ice cream every day—that's the perfect life, isn't it?"
"Just ice cream every day?" Sam chuckled. "You're too easy to satisfy, Cynthia."
He stepped forward, his expression gradually turning serious.
"We've had dessert. Now it's time for the main course."
He met her gaze.
"Let's battle."
---------------Author---------------
Read 60 advanced chapter on
👉 patreon.com/Master_fic
U can read 10 chapters ahead just for 5