"Ahaha, well… actually, there was a bit of a problem during this Froakie's taming process. But I guarantee it, if you buy it and take it home, you'll definitely get an obedient Froakie."
"Of course, it's precisely because this Froakie is so strong that taming it proved difficult. I think for a Trainer, that's actually a good thing."
The vendor seemed eager to sell the Froakie and kept promoting it.
"Is that so? It doesn't look obedient at all to me." Terrance spoke with a mocking tone, causing the black market vendor to freeze for a moment.
The way this Froakie looked at him was no different from how one would look at an enemy. Terrance didn't believe that any Trainer who bought it would end up with a well-behaved Froakie.
From his observations, Terrance noticed many scars on the Froakie's body. Although they had been superficially treated, there was no hiding the signs of abuse.
The other Pokémon had all been subdued by poachers through violence, but this Froakie… clearly, it still hadn't been tamed.
"Sir, please believe me. I would never deceive a customer," the vendor said seriously, holding his breath.
"See you." Terrance ignored him. After crouching down and meeting the Froakie's gaze for a moment, he shrugged and turned to leave, not forgetting to wave at the middle-aged vendor.
"What the hell!" Watching Terrance's arrogant attitude, the vendor spat viciously and cursed.
The next second, he was already calling out to new passersby.
…
…
"Now it's your turn."
Somewhere in the city, Terrance took out the Poké Ball containing evil Togepi and released the little guy.
The gloomy Togepi originally intended to leave immediately, but when it sensed the oppressive aura nearby, it froze and glared fiercely at Terrance.
With Mismagius watching from the side, it had no chance to run.
This Togepi was clever; it wouldn't waste effort on something pointless.
"Mismagius, show Togepi what we saw in the black market earlier. Recreate it as an illusion," Terrance said.
"Mis~magius!" Mismagius revealed itself and nodded.
"Togepi, Togepi!" Seeing Mismagius approach, Togepi hurriedly backed away, but it still couldn't escape Mismagius's illusion skill. Like watching a movie, it was forced to view the black market's environment.
"You're indeed very good at pranks, and yes, your personality is pretty nasty. But there are people even worse than you. You saw those scenes, right? Many Pokémon are imprisoned there. Your mission is to turn that underground black market upside down…" Terrance spoke casually, completely ignoring Togepi's resentful glare.
"Nope, you don't have a choice. In a moment, I'll forcibly send you there. If you don't want to be captured by those bad guys and turned into merchandise, or caught by me again, then do your very best to complete your mission brilliantly….. As for me, I'd be more than happy to see you succeed."
Terrance chuckled and nodded toward Gardevoir, who had appeared beside him at some point.
"Togepi, Togepi!" The next instant, as Togepi was lifted into the air by psychic power, it immediately began shouting angrily at Terrance. It was always the one causing trouble for others. Being messed with like this made it extremely unhappy.
"Safe travel~" Terrance waved, greatly anticipating Togepi's performance.
At the same time, Gardevoir activated its psychic power, using the Confusion Marker previously placed in the black market to teleport Togepi over.
And just like that, a bewildered Togepi appeared in a corner of the black market…
Over there.
With a long, drawn-out spiteful "Tog—geee—pi", the evil Togepi clenched its fists and helplessly surveyed its surroundings. Though it was filled with anger, once it sensed the environment around it, it understood—
There was no normal way out of this place.
Especially when it thought about Terrance's strength, Togepi felt both furious and bitter. It couldn't win in a fight, nor could it escape. And now, it even had to obey Terrance's orders.
"Togepi, Togepi!" Stomping the ground fiercely, the evil Togepi's face darkened. It decided to think long-term. Pretend to comply for now and wait for a chance to escape.
After observing the situation again, the evil Togepi formed a plan and cautiously moved along the wall in a certain direction.
There stood a large truck-like cage holding more than ten different Pokémon. Togepi carefully approached. Thanks to its clever use of cover, it went a long distance without anyone noticing its presence.
Hiding once more, Togepi locked its gaze onto the keys hanging from the vendor's waist beside the truck.
"Whoosh!" With a flick of its finger, the keyring quietly detached from the man's waist and floated toward the truck.
Next, Togepi used its psychic power to determine exactly which key unlocked the cage. Then, with psychic power, it manipulated the correct key and opened the lock—every step precise and meticulous.
Click!
At the sound of the lock dropping, the vendor froze and turned around blankly, meeting the eyes of the Pokémon inside the truck cage.
A riot didn't immediately break out. These Pokémon had already been tamed and had long since lost the will to escape. However, as Togepi swaggered forward and flung over a dozen hearts that touched them, nine of the Pokémon instantly looked as if they were being controlled. Fierce expressions appeared on their faces as they charged out wildly.
"Ahhhhhh!!" In that instant, the vendor clutched his head in panic.
The commotion naturally didn't go unnoticed by other vendors and buyers. The most stunned were the other vendors. Watching Pokémon frenziedly rush at them, overturn their merchandise, and launch attacks, they all burst out with curses.
The nine Pokémon didn't flee the black market. Instead, they did everything they could to create chaos—attacking vendors, knocking over goods. Under their rampage, the buyers also fell into disorder, and the black market instantly descended into turmoil.
Of course, the chaos didn't last long. When the poachers responsible for maintaining order stepped in and sent out their Pokémon to suppress the nine troublemakers, the nine Pokémon were quickly subdued.
But by then, Togepi had already achieved its goal.
In such a chaotic environment, no one paid attention to a tiny thing like it.
So while the poachers were busy suppressing the rioting Pokémon, the evil Togepi used the same method to control the minds of more male Pokémon, coordinating from inside and out to release them to cause further havoc.
"Togepi, Togepi!!"
Amid the chaos, Togepi wore an evil grin, completely unconcerned that the Pokémon it controlled had already been recaptured. It continued immersing itself in its "righteous act," determined to free even more Pokémon.
When Togepi rescued a cold-faced Froakie, the poachers finally discovered the culprit.
At the same time, Togepi froze for a moment, staring at the Froakie slowly stepping out of the cage in confusion. It was clearly male, but… its Attract move had failed. It couldn't control this Froakie's actions or will at all.
"Catch that Pokémon!!" A poacher commanding a Mightyena charged toward Togepi. At his order, Mightyena lunged fiercely.
Feeling the rush of wind from the attack, a vicious glint flashed through the evil Togepi's eyes. It was just about to make a move when the Froakie beside it leapt out first. In a blur, it collided head-on with Mightyena.
But it failed. Its injured body couldn't overpower Mightyena and was instead knocked backward.
"Tog~epi!!" Looking at the Froakie fallen beside it, Togepi shook its head helplessly. The next moment, it suddenly waved its fingers. As Metronome activated, a signal beam shot out, blasting the oncoming Mightyena away.
"Damn it, Shiftry, you're up!" The poacher threw out another Poké Ball.
At this moment, Togepi kept waving its fingers. Its expression seemed contemplative, as if searching for a certain feeling. A moment later, a strange fluctuation emanated from its body, linking it to the Froakie beside it.
Skill Swap—activated.
Sensing that the power of luck it had relied on was gone and replaced by a new strength, Togepi froze for a second. Something felt off, yet it couldn't quite put its finger on it.
Flamethrower!
Shiftry's Leaf Storm came sweeping in. Togepi didn't have time to think. It unleashed a Flamethrower straight ahead. Its specialties were Flamethrower and Psychic, and this time it chose Flamethrower against Shiftry.
However, this time Togepi suddenly felt that its control over the flames was absolutely perfect. The power, temperature, and range of its Flamethrower seemed to skyrocket, erupting with astonishing force. At the same time, flames burst from Togepi's own body, continuously fueling the Flamethrower with energy. The transformation startled even Togepi itself.
Amid the chaos, Terrance, who was hiding somewhere and watching the spectacle, widened his eyes when he saw the flames devour Leaf Storm.
"Togepi swapped Froakie's Protean Ability onto itself?!"
Protean: the Ability that changes the user's type to match the move it uses.
Metronome: waving fingers to stimulate the brain and randomly use one move from all possible moves.
Skill Swap: using psychic power to exchange Abilities with another Pokémon.
By sheer coincidence, Togepi had obtained Froakie's Ability, Protean. This change allowed Togepi to display extraordinary strength.
But Terrance knew that perhaps it wasn't mere coincidence. This Togepi's original Ability was Super Luck. Its incredible luck was precisely why its pranks had always succeeded. Its good luck played a huge part.
Now that it had Protean, combined with Flamethrower and Psychic, Togepi unleashed even greater power and directly forced the poacher back.
However, as more poachers began to surround it, Togepi instantly put on a pitiful expression.
Seeing this, Terrance felt it was about time, and decided to step in personally.
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