"Bam! Bam! Bam—!"
With every heavy strike, the energy surrounding Snorlax rapidly dissipated.
Under the relentless barrage of Slaking, the massive Pokémon was forced backward step by step.
Each retreat left a deep footprint in the ground.
"Don't give up, Snorlax!!"
Ash shouted his classic battle cry.
Unfortunately—
Snorlax wasn't Pikachu.
Under Slaking's calculated, force-dispersing blows, it had no room to counterattack.
"BOOM!"
Another punch landed.
Snorlax finally lost its balance—
And collapsed onto the ground.
The Key Move: Gradual Breakthrough
This seemingly ordinary move—
Gradual Breakthrough—
Had been developed by Peter into a combo technique.
It ignored evasiveness and defensive boosts.
More importantly—
Each hit disrupted force and balance.
Under Slaking's overwhelming strength—
Every strike created a stagger effect.
Against a slow, bulky opponent like Snorlax—
It was devastating.
"Snorlax! Use Headbutt!"
Ash finally adjusted.
If body strength wasn't enough—
Use the head.
But—
Too late.
Slaking's fists glowed again.
Peter lowered his cap slightly.
"Finish it."
"Use Hammer Arm."
"ROOOOAR—!!"
Slaking raised both arms—
Stacked them together—
And smashed down with terrifying force.
BOOOOOOM—!!
A shockwave rippled outward.
Snorlax took the hit head-on—
And collapsed instantly.
[Victory Against Higher-Tier Opponent]
Reward: Strength Talent +20
Slaking leveled up
Ash's figure slowly faded.
Peter stepped forward.
Slaking was breathing heavily.
They bumped fists.
This fight—
Proved something important.
With Huge Power-like amplification and the Power Band—
Slaking could now match a Gym-tier Snorlax in raw strength.
Sure—
Ash hadn't fought at full strategic capacity.
But the result still spoke volumes.
"Here you go—your reward."
Peter smiled and took out a Rare Candy wrapped in rainbow foil.
"Lay~"
Slaking happily tossed it into its mouth.
System Notification
[Rare Candy Used]
Slaking reached Level 40
Friendship: Max
Learned exclusive move: Return (Mastered)
…
Peter nodded in satisfaction.
He returned Slaking to continue training.
Then—
His consciousness returned to reality.
…
Back to Hearthome
As soon as Peter opened his eyes—
Whitney was walking toward him.
Hands behind her back.
A simple gesture—
Yet it made her figure even more… eye-catching.
Peter instinctively sat up straighter.
"Guess what I went to do~?" she asked playfully.
Peter smirked.
"Hmm… buying diapers for our future kid?"
"Pff—what are you saying?! It's too early for that!"
Whitney's face turned red instantly.
"Alright, alright, I'm kidding."
"Show me the surprise you prepared."
….
Whitney smiled brightly.
"You said you wanted to join the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, right?"
"I checked online—the event is organized by Mayor Enta."
"But for doubles, teams are assigned randomly."
"So…"
She proudly revealed two number plates.
"To make sure we're paired together, I tracked him down and got these in advance!"
"Ta-da~!"
…
Peter froze.
A warm feeling spread through his chest.
Every small thing he casually mentioned—
She remembered.
Every time.
Whitney noticed his expression and panicked slightly.
"If you think it's unfair… I can return them—mmph!"
Before she could finish—
Peter pulled her into his arms.
Her balance slipped.
She fell straight into his embrace.
"You always do this…" he said softly.
"Without realizing it… you steal my heart."
He lifted her chin.
His dark eyes locked onto hers.
Whitney blushed.
Then smiled gently.
Resting her cheek against his chest.
"As long as you like it…"
"I'm happy."
…
Just as the two were lost in the moment—
Peter's phone rang.
He was about to hang up—
But paused when he saw the caller.
He tapped Whitney lightly on the hip.
Then answered.
A holographic projection appeared.
It was Teruhiko.
"Peter, great news!"
"The Rotom Phone project is complete!"
…
The Rotom Phone
"Look at this!"
Teruhiko held up a device.
A sleek red phone—
With lightning-shaped edges.
A face on the back.
It was unmistakable.
Rotom integrated smartphone.
"We trained Rotom systematically," Teruhiko explained.
"They can now fully understand human commands."
"They operate all functions of the Pokegear Mate 60 flawlessly."
"And we expanded functionality too."
New Features
Smart Pokédex integrationDanger alertsEmergency rescueRemote distress signalsWild navigation
"With support from Made in Paldea Company, we're also developing smart bicycles integrated with Rotom."
Peter nodded repeatedly.
Handing this project to Teruhiko was definitely the right move.
…
"But we've hit a bottleneck," Teruhiko said.
"Production."
"Materials are easy."
"But Rotom… are rare."
"They can't breed."
"We've searched places like haunted mansions and abandoned hotels…"
"But results are minimal."
…
Peter chuckled.
"Oh… that problem?"
"That's easy."
He revealed the method:
Use Ditto to breed with Rotom.
Teruhiko froze.
"…Wait. That works?!"
"Yep."
Peter had done it before.
Even bred a shiny Rotom.
Teruhiko was ecstatic.
He immediately hung up to begin testing.
A New Era Begins
Peter leaned back slightly.
Once mass production succeeded—
The Pokémon world would change.
Every new trainer—
Would have a powerful, intelligent assistant.
A true revolution.
And Peter—
Was right at the center of it.
--------------
T/N:
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