Wartortle emerged from the water with a confused expression, staring at Slowpoke as if seriously doubting his sanity. While Bran and Lilly burst into laughter, I just smirked and let my mind wander.
Slowpoke was actually a fairly capable Pokémon. The combination of Water and Psychic types gave him great potential, and his evolutions—Slowbro or Slowking—completely solved his legendary slowness. However, in this world, he was also known as a food source. His tail was considered a renowned delicacy and fetched quite high prices on the market.
Meanwhile, Slowpoke set off again at a slow, leisurely pace and, surprisingly wisely, headed straight for Lilly.
"Slow?" he called out in front of her, tilting his head.
"Hey there," Lilly replied with a smile, scratching him behind his ears. "How are you doing?"
Slowpoke put on his typical blank stare again. He looked left at me, right at Bran, and then answered Lilly once more: "Slow, Slowpoke... slow?"
That Pokémon was definitely sharper than he looked. He instantly figured out who he could trust and who was better avoided. Bran and I would have tossed him onto a frying pan without a second thought, while Lilly smiled sweetly and gushed over him.
"Do you want him, Lilly? Or are we going to eat him?" I asked her with a grin. "I don't feel like butchering him later once the Goldeen is done. So you'd better make up your mind quickly."
Lilly nodded enthusiastically.
"Do you want to come with me, Slowpoke? You'll have as much food as you could ever want! We'll train and battle until you evolve... and even after that!"
At her very first word, Slowpoke began nodding his entire head in frantic agreement. In her excitement, though, Lilly didn't notice at all and carried on with her passionate speech.
"We'll win all the badges and even beat Lance! Even if starting out is tough, we'll get through it together." Then she pointed to her first Pokémon. "This is Bulbasaur, my partner. I'm sure you two will get along, and you'll have a good time with us if you decide to join."
Slowpoke kept nodding tirelessly.
"So... will you join us?" she finally asked, looking directly at him.
And right at that moment, he apparently ran out of energy. He stopped nodding and just stood there, staring blankly ahead. Lilly looked at him hopefully for a moment, but after a few seconds of dead silence, she turned to me helplessly.
I just gave her an encouraging smirk and then turned to the pink Pokémon.
"You're seriously going to make a great lunch."
That very second, Slowpoke snapped back to life and started frantically nodding his head toward Lilly again.
"Slow! Slow! Slow!"
"I've actually never eaten his tail before," Bran joined in with a wicked grin.
"Slowpoke, do you want to join me?" Lilly completely ignored us and asked him again. Simple and direct.
"SLOW!" blurted out the now thoroughly desperate pink creature.
Lilly smiled happily at him and pulled an empty Pokéball from her backpack. She gently tapped it against his forehead, and a moment later, Slowpoke was safely tucked away inside. The ball didn't shake even once in her palm.
"Congratulations," I said, smiling at Lilly.
"Congrats to you too," Bran piped up immediately.
"Thanks, guys," she replied with a smile, releasing Slowpoke back out among us without hesitation.
The pink Pokémon instantly looked at me, then at Bran, and let out a terrified cry:
"Sloooow?!"
"Easy, Slowpoke, nobody is going to hurt you," Lilly began to soothe him, scratching his head. "You're part of the team now. We all help and protect each other." She turned to Bulbasaur with a smile. "Right?"
"Bulbasaur," he nodded in agreement.
It took Slowpoke a moment to process this, but eventually, he looked between us skeptically.
"Slow?"
"Really," Lilly nodded resolutely.
"Do you want your cooked Goldeen or do you want it raw?" I asked him.
"Slowpoke," he shook his head slowly.
I looked at Lilly with a silent question in my eyes.
"He's not hungry," she shrugged, then patted the spot on the blanket next to her. "Lie down with us, Slowpoke."
He was slow, sure, but not as tragically so as I had expected. After a moment, he actually listened and flopped down next to Bulbasaur. Well... at least he tried to. A large part of his bulky body still ended up on the sand. He really was a massive Pokémon.
The Pokémon food was finally finished cooking on several pans. Except for Poliwhirl, who preferred fresh raw meat, everyone else feasted on grilled fish fillets with a side of their own choice. Bran and I had put it together successfully—without any spices, salt, or seasonings that could harm them, of course. In the end, we neatly portioned everything out into bowls.
What amused me most was Houndoom, who had completely passed out in the meantime and lay sprawled across my blanket, fast asleep. Wartortle dutifully patrolled the sea, while Haunter had vanished somewhere into the depths of the forest, likely training and feeding on the fear of wild Pokémon. This time, Machoke was guarding our tents, keeping a watchful eye on the sleeping Abra and Aron. Zubat hung in Bran's tent, sleeping peacefully, while Geodude was burrowed inside his sand model of Mt. Moon.
"Saur!" Bulbasaur snorted enthusiastically and immediately dug into his portion, while the newest team member, Slowpoke, processed what was actually happening around him with his typical delay.
Once the other Pokémon had started on their lunch, it was time to whip up something proper for ourselves—this time with a healthy dose of salt and pepper.
I quickly threw the seasoned fish fillets onto one hot pan and the chopped potatoes onto another, letting them fry until crispy. For a fresh side, we had the fresh stalks Bulbasaur had gifted us before completely losing himself in his bowl. They tasted great even raw.
After a few minutes, everything was ready. The aroma of grilled fish and spices wafted through the air as a pleasant tranquility settled over our camp. Nobody disturbed us, and a neighbor's Charizard nearby tirelessly maintained an active Sunny Day technique, keeping us nice and warm.
"Bon appétit," we wished each other and eagerly dug into our food.
"Dude, this is seriously good," Bran praised with his mouth full.
"It really is, Patrik," Lilly agreed with an honest smile right after her first bite. "Where did you actually learn to cook like this?" she asked curiously.
At her question, I just rolled my eyes with an amused smirk.
"I mean, it's just chopped fish, seasoned by eye, spiced by eye... basically just fried in a pan," I shook my head, continuing to eat happily.
After that, nobody said a word. Everyone focused on their food, and a pleasant silence filled the camp. It was broken only by the occasional crackling of the fire, the rustling of the sea, and the contented sounds of our Pokémon at their bowls.
I noticed drool slowly starting to drip from Houndoom's mouth in his sleep. He had to be dreaming about the bowl full of cooked meat sitting right next to his snout. A few minutes later, he finally woke up, caught the scent, and dug into his lunch without the slightest hesitation.
"Wartortle, come grab some food!" I called out to the turtle in the sea.
He was clearly still enjoying his swim, and judging by the seaweed sticking out of his mouth, he had already managed to grab a bite to eat. Still, he needed a solid dose of protein from the fresh fish.
"War!" he replied in agreement and practically leapt straight from the sea onto the beach.
He sat down quietly in the sand a little way from us, and I handed him his filled bowl.
"If it's cold, I can heat it up for you," I offered.
But Wartortle was already digging in without hesitation, so the temperature was probably fine.
"What are we doing after lunch?" Bran spoke up once we were all—except for Houndoom and Wartortle—happily full.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to rest for a bit and then do some serious training," I replied calmly, lying down on my back on the blanket and staring up at the clear sky above us.
"I'm in," Lilly agreed immediately. "I want to see what Slowpoke can do, and I also need to start preparing for my gym battle."
"When are you planning to do it, actually?" I asked curiously. "I'll probably go in about a week... Honestly, I think my Pokémon might already be a bit too strong for the second badge as it is."
"I don't know," Lilly shrugged vaguely. "I haven't even registered at the gym yet. But now that I have a second Pokémon... One more would be great, and then I could go for it."
"Bulbasaur will definitely be awesome against Misty and her Water-types. And we might catch a third one later today, or on the way back to town."
"Maybe another Abra?" Bran chimed in with laughter in his voice.
"Maybe," I replied with a smile, continuing to soak up the pleasant warmth of the sun.
The others took my cue, flopping onto their blankets, and for a while, the three of us just basked in the warmth. Only Wartortle and Poliwhirl threw themselves back into the ocean waves with enthusiastic splashes right after finishing their food.
For about another hour, we enjoyed sweet idleness and peaceful rest. I didn't feel like getting up at all, but in the end, I forced myself. There was no choice—if we wanted to make progress, we all had to get stronger.
As soon as I stood up, Houndoom lazily cracked his eyes open, yawned, and slowly stood by my leg.
I noticed that Machoke had fallen asleep sitting up by the tent, while little Abra had already woken up and, with her eyes still closed, was enjoying the food from her bowl. It was the perfect time to discuss a training plan with her, so I walked over.
"Since you're awake, Abra, we could start developing your psychic abilities," I suggested to her.
She gave no sign that she acknowledged me, but I knew she was listening, even as she continued to eat calmly.
"Right now, as a young Abra, you have huge potential for rapid growth."
At these words, her ears twitched inquisitively.
"You have to sleep a lot, but while you're awake, you should actively work on your mind. Once you're done eating, try to telekinetically move your bowl. The more you use your powers, the stronger you'll get, and the sooner you'll evolve into a powerful Kadabra..."
Every Pokémon yearned to reach their strongest form. Evolution was a natural goal and one of their greatest motivations—and Psychic Pokémon were no exception.
Abra, of course, made no reaction, not even a nod. She simply kept on eating, but I knew she would listen to me.
I gently scratched her small head and walked over to the sleeping Machoke. I lightly shook his massive shoulder to wake him up.
"Training?" I suggested.
If he wasn't feeling it, I would have let him sleep; after all, it was a peaceful day. For me, though, intense physical training was one of the best forms of relaxation, so I was secretly hoping he would join in.
"Macho!" he nodded determinedly and instantly jumped to his feet.
Aron was still sleeping, Abra had her clear task, and Haunter still hadn't returned from the forest. Houndoom and Machoke were ready for action, while Wartortle was still messing around in the sea.
Lilly immediately stood up too, Bulbasaur already standing ready by her side. A moment later, they were joined by Slowpoke, who stood obediently next to them with a yawn and a phlegmatic, blank stare.
Bran was still fast asleep on his blanket, snoring contentedly, so I decided to let him rest. Poliwhirl was fooling around in the water with Wartortle even without him, and his Geodude and Zubat were resting as well.
I nodded to Lilly and the ready Pokémon to follow me, and we walked a little distance away from the camp to an open sandy clearing.
"Want to join us for a warm-up?" I asked Lilly.
She looked at me questioning, brow raised, so I explained right away:
"We'll do a slow jog to warm up, stretch our joints and muscles, and then move on to the real training."
Lilly looked at the eager Bulbasaur, then at the lazily waiting Slowpoke, and finally nodded.
"Let's run, then! Houndoom, you can go a bit faster, but still just to warm up," I commanded and started jogging forward. The others followed me immediately.
Machoke ran beside me, mimicking even my breathing—in through the nose, out through the mouth. Behind us jogged Lilly with Bulbasaur and Slowpoke. To my surprise, the pink Pokémon was quite a capable runner and kept pace with her without any trouble.
After the warm-up, a short head-to-toe stretch followed, aimed at loosening the joints and preparing the muscles for the workout.
"What if Bulbasaur trains with Houndoom?" I suggested to Lilly.
"How?" Doubt showed in her eyes. "A Fire-type with a Grass-type doesn't seem like the best combination to me."
"Bulbasaur could practice coordinating his vine whips, and Houndoom can work on his footwork and evasive maneuvers. It'd be great speed and reaction training for both of them before the battle with Misty," I explained calmly. "Meanwhile, you can go over the basics with Slowpoke, and I'll focus on Machoke."
While Machoke was already shadowboxing a little way off, the other Pokémon waited patiently for instructions.
"That's actually a great idea," Lilly concluded with a smile. "What do you say, Bulbasaur?"
"Saur," her Grass-type partner replied.
Lilly turned to me.
"It's a deal. Explain the training to them, and I'll head a bit further off with Slowpoke."
I nodded. It suited me; Bulbasaur was a perfect fit for this kind of training.
"Houndoom, Bulbasaur, over here!" I commanded in my usual tone.
Once they stood facing each other, I continued:
"Bulbasaur, you're going to try to hit Houndoom with your vine whips at half speed. Aim for his legs or his head. Focus mainly on coordination and don't put full power into it, alright?"
"Saur!" he nodded in agreement.
"Houndoom, your job is to dodge at all costs. Leap over them, duck to the ground, sidestep—whatever it takes. Pure reaction training. You must not attack, only dodge. Got it?"
"Hound!" he barked with his tongue sticking out, wagging his tail eagerly from side to side.
I quickly adjusted the distance between them. Bulbasaur had quite an eager, almost thrilled expression on his face, which surprised me a bit given his usually easygoing, Grass-type nature.
"Bulbasaur, definitely slower and gentler to start. Ready?"
Both nodded, so I barked the command:
"Go!"
Bulbasaur immediately sent out slow vines from both sides, as if trying to pinch Houndoom like a pair of scissors. Houndoom leaped up without the slightest trouble, barking happily as he did.
But Bulbasaur didn't hesitate and instantly attacked again—this time straight down from above, aiming for his head.
Houndoom simply rolled to the side with ease, and the grassy whips struck the sand with a muffled thud.
It looked like they could handle this drill even without my constant supervision, so I jogged over to Machoke.
He was gradually adding elbow, knee, and kick combinations to his shadowboxing. I watched him with satisfaction for a moment and then joined in.
While throwing my own loose combinations, I began to think. Teaching him stand-up striking wouldn't be an issue; I could teach him practically anything there. However, since my own training focused mostly on striking, my wrestling had some gaps. I only knew the basics, so advanced grappling was definitely out of the question. Still, for a Machoke, even the simplest principles could be highly effective.
I also only knew a few basic techniques from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu—chokes from various positions, the armbar, and the kimura. But for a Pokémon with his build, that should be more than enough.
First, we'll warm up, and then we'll do some light sparring, I decided in my head, focusing entirely on my breathing once more as I struck.
In a week, we had our battle for the second badge against Misty. Even though I knew full well that Haunter alone probably wouldn't have any trouble beating her gym-scale team, I had absolutely no intention of slowing down our training pace.
I wanted to be the very best, not just some average trainer.
***
Author's note:
I promise no Slowpokes were actually harmed (or eaten!) in the making of this chapter, though Patrik and Bran definitely gave the poor guy a proper scare.
What do you guys think of Slowpoke and his overall potential? Personally, I think he's a pretty solid choice, even when it comes to competitive gameplay!
Up next, we have a one-week timeskip leading straight into the gym battle against Misty. Are you guys excited? Since it's going to be a 3v3 match, who do you think our MC will choose for his lineup?
***
Step into the Restricted Section
The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.
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Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(15):
48. Blood in the Water
49. Beneath the Surface
50. Gearing Up
51. Borelli's Forge
52. Two Badges and a Persian
53. Steel, Silence, and Whispers
54. Steel and Blood
55. The Spoils of War
56. The Price of Survival
57. A Heavy Debt
58. Into the Dark
59. Where Dragons Feed
60. Heart of a Dragon
61. Time for a Training Arc
62. Shadows in the Thunder
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