Holding the key and meeting Teacher Julian's amused gaze, Terrance couldn't make heads or tails of it.
However, after sensing Togepi's emotions, Terrance was convinced that there was no Fairy-type Pokémon that couldn't be tamed with the Fairy Mark.
"Togepi, I'll let you out now." After unlocking the door with the key, Terrance looked at the Togepi that burst out and slowly walked toward him. He put on what he thought was a friendly smile and reached out, wanting to pick the little one up.
Togepi, for its part, was more than willing to be lifted into Terrance's arms, even flashing a happy smile while nestled against him.
"Togepi! Togepi…"
"See, Teacher Julian? As long as you find the right method, there's no such thing as an unruly Pokémon. This little one is clearly very cute."
As Terrance finished speaking, Togepi laughed again—"Togepi! Togepi…"—and in the next instant, a burst of white mist suddenly exploded in Terrance's arms. Togepi vanished without a trace.
"This is already its go-to acting routine. Now you know it's not so easy to tame, right?" Teacher Julian laughed as he saw Terrance suffer humiliation.
Terrance froze, staring at Togepi as it appeared in a distant corner, once again wearing an expression of malice and disdain. He was completely dumbfounded.
He naturally knew this Togepi was extremely cunning, but he had used the Fairy Mark… and the Fairy Mark had clearly conveyed friendliness from this Togepi.
That was the fundamental reason Terrance had let down his guard. Could it be that he was wearing a fake Fairy Mark?
At the same time, Togepi in the distance began waving its fingers, and a massive wave of psychic power pressed down. Teacher Julian's and Terrance's coats and pants were stripped right off, and both of them began breathing rapidly.
"That b*stard, how dare it be this arrogant." Teacher Julian quickly yanked his pants back on, anger flaring as he issued an order. The next second, a Gardevoir emerged in a flash of light and chased after the Togepi that had struck a taunting pose and fled.
"Put your clothes back on already!" Teacher Julian shouted when he saw Terrance staring fixedly at his palm with a pensive expression.
"Oh, right." Terrance replied absentmindedly. Now he truly believed this Togepi was something special. Ever since he had obtained the Fairy Mark, he had never encountered anything this bizarre.
Thirty-six Cutiefly—every single one of them had been extremely affectionate toward Terrance because of the Fairy Mark, and other Fairy-type Pokémon had been the same.
But this Togepi… it had actually shown disdain. So its earlier obedience had all been an act to escape?
"Why does it feel like I'm being looked down on…" Terrance finished straightening his clothes and tossed out the Poké Balls of Gallade, Gardevoir, and Mismagius.
Ignoring Teacher Julian's stunned expression, he quickly gave chase.
If before he had merely been interested in this exceptionally capable Togepi, now Terrance was pursuing it with the firm resolve that he absolutely had to capture it.
It was the first time he had ever seen a Fairy-type Pokémon respond to the Fairy Mark's affinity fluctuations with a look of disdain, and it greatly piqued Terrance's curiosity.
Gardevoir—using its powerful psychic power to sense the entire academy.
Gallade—Teleporting throughout the academy in search.
Mismagius—using illusion skills to disrupt Togepi's movements.
Terrance deployed a lavish capture lineup, one that could fight even a Legendary Pokémon for several rounds. As a result, before the fleeing Togepi could cause any more commotion, it was caught and brought back by Terrance.
"Togepi! Togepi!!"
The enraged Togepi was pinned in midair by Gardevoir's Confusion, struggling nonstop as it resisted with its own psychic power.
Through Gardevoir's Telepathy, Terrance made a startling discovery: this Togepi's level of psychic power was only slightly weaker than Gardevoir's had been back in its Ralts stage.
"Teacher Julian, it's fine if I just take it with me like this, right?" By the time Terrance had captured Togepi, Teacher Julian had also arrived.
"Of course it's fine. Otherwise, the academy was planning to seal this Togepi away anyway."
"You're planning to take it and tame it?"
"In the short term, it's impossible to make this Togepi obedient. If I try to tame it within the academy, I'm worried it'll just turn this place upside down again," Terrance said with a smile.
Looking at the defiant Togepi, Terrance shook his head helplessly. "No matter what, little guy, come with me first. If you stay here, you'll only end up sealed away in the end, never able to be free. But if you come with me, at least you still have a chance to escape."
"Togepi! Togepi!!!" Togepi looked at Terrance with contempt, clearly not believing he would really let it go.
"Then let's make a bet…" Terrance also revealed a wicked grin.
…
…
In the end, Terrance still took this troublesome, evil Togepi away from the academy.
Feeling the struggles coming from inside the Poké Ball, Terrance used the Fairy Mark to calm it down and explained the rules of the game.
An ordinary Poké Ball couldn't restrain this Togepi at all, so the academy prepared a special Poké Ball for Terrance, one that had originally been intended to seal Togepi.
Using this Poké Ball was a last resort for Terrance; otherwise, this Togepi would have escaped long ago.
Judging from its past exploits, if it were let loose on an airplane or a ship, it would definitely cause a disaster.
"According to our agreement, as long as you can fulfill the bet, I'll let you go. During the bet, if you manage to escape on your own, that counts as your ability too," Terrance said.
As he boarded the plane back to Hoenn, Terrance muttered to himself. He had left Pupitar and Beautifly in the desert, and Carbink and the others were still safe for now.
Originally, he had two options next: return to the desert to accompany Pupitar's training, or go back to Mt. Chimney to rejoin Altaria and the others.
But after capturing this untamable Togepi, Terrance changed his itinerary.
He really had made a bet with this Togepi, and he truly intended to honor it. If this Togepi could complete the wager, Terrance would let it go, but he was even more inclined to tame it in the process of the bet.
Terrance was preparing to fight evil with evil.
"You like playing pranks, right? Next, I'll take turns releasing you in a hundred different places. As long as you can successfully pull off pranks a hundred times—turning each place into chaos while coming out unscathed—I'll let you go. Or, during the prank process, you can try to escape as well. But if you fail to escape and get caught by me more than five times, I'll send you back to Crown Academy and have those teachers who grind their teeth at the sight of you seal you away somewhere, forever deprived of freedom."
"Togepi! Togepi!!" The Togepi inside the Poké Ball was furious. It didn't like this kind of forced pranking at all.
Whether it liked it or not, Terrance had already made up his mind. After returning to Hoenn, a mysterious delivery arrived in Terrance's hands.
Inside were records detailing the bases of poaching and criminal organizations of all sizes throughout the Hoenn region and the surrounding islands.
…
From Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, Episode 142: "Where No Togepi Has Gone Before!"
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