After Feebas became familiar with the other Pokémon, it was finally time to begin proper training. Since it barely knew any moves and was still at a very low level, simple laps back and forth in the pool were more than enough for now.
The rest of the Pokémon lined up neatly on the open ground beside the water.
Unown A drifted slowly in midair, moving back and forth as it spoke in a deep voice. 'The key to combining moves is control. When you train two moves to the limit and can use them without even thinking about moving energy, then fusion will happen naturally'
It stopped in the center, then added, 'Of course, there are many kinds of moves, and what counts as the limit is another matter. No normal Pokémon trains only one move every day, which is why fusion training is necessary.'
After finishing, it looked around to see how much the group had understood.
Corviknight gave a quiet nod, while Drakloak floated aside and began training immediately.
"Haun! Haun!"
Haunter puffed out its thin chest as if it understood everything.
"Growl!"
Growlithe nodded along enthusiastically.
Bewear held its ears and tilted its body, clearly confused, while Vibrava hid in the corner, hoping not to be noticed.
Shiro stood behind Unown A and nodded in support. 'Well said, Teacher A.'
When that resentful single eye turned toward him, he forced a smile and quickly slipped to the side.
His foot bumped into something, and when he turned his head, he locked eyes with Vibrava.
"…"
He bent down and picked it up. "You little guy…"
Only now did he realize that this one was the best at slacking off. No wonder it had been stuck at level forty for so long, unable to step into the Gym-level.
"Are you really satisfied being a tiny dragonfly every day?" he asked, rubbing its round head. "Flygon, the Desert Spirit. Isn't that cool?"
Vibrava stared at him with its green compound eyes, unable to respond.
Dragonfly. Desert Spirit. It did not understand any of that.
Holding it in his arms, Shiro gently moved his hand to make it nod up and down, then checked its information.
[Name: Vibrava
Type: Ground/Dragon
Level: 40 (Advanced)
Ability: Levitate
Held Item: None
Moves: Dragon Breath, Sand Attack, Bite, Dig, Mud-Slap, Sand Tomb, Dragon Tail, Screech, Bug Buzz, Sandstorm, Earth Power, Take Down, Protect, Struggle Bug, Facade...
Advancement Ratio: 67/100]
Shiro was stunned.
Its advancement ratio was not even eighty, and it had gone through far too few battles. Its experience was clearly insufficient.
'Looks like I need to pay special attention to it these next few days.'
As he was thinking this, Unown A floated over.
'Bring Vibrava here!' It said, pointing one slanted limb at Growlithe. 'Let it be Growlithe's target!'
"…"
Shiro placed Vibrava in front of the fire-spitting dog.
"Growl! Grooowl!" (Bro, here I come.)
With a dull expression on its face, Vibrava watched as flames shot toward it.
Despite the heat, it showed no reaction at all. It had strong adaptability and learned fast. It did not seem to care about being scorched by its good friend's fire.
* * *
In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and the S.S. Anne was about to dock.
Inside a reception room on the top deck of the passenger cabin, Shiro sat by the coffee table, speaking at length.
"Slowbro's evolution is a highly representative case among Pokémon. In fact, it has multiple evolutionary paths and various evolution methods. It's not just about leveling up."
After finishing that sentence, he paused to make sure Lorelei and Dale had completed their notes before preparing to elaborate further.
Bzzt!
Just as he was about to continue speaking, his communicator suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
Shiro excused himself and stepped out onto the balcony, where the sea breeze carried the faint scent of salt. He answered the call and Professor Rowan's slightly hurried voice came from the other end.
"Shiro, I just received a report forwarded from Kanto. The S.S. Anne has successfully rescued the captured passengers?"
"That's right."
"It says Elite Four Agatha arrived in time. You didn't run into any danger, did you?"
"No."
"But I haven't been able to reach Walt lately. He's the captain, yet Agatha's report didn't mention anything about him. Did something happen?"
"…"
Shiro thought for a moment before replying, "Professor Rowan, regarding that… I have some unfortunate news."
"What happened?!" Rowan's voice immediately turned anxious.
"Walt is dead."
He then gave a brief explanation, describing how he had subdued Red Devil and Arne, and how Arne confessed that Walt had been a Team Rocket spy. However, he deliberately concealed everything related to Mesprit, the Unown, and any psychic powers.
On the other end, Rowan stroked his bristly beard and fell into a long silence. Shiro guessed he was simply shocked and waited patiently.
After more than ten seconds, Rowan finally let out a hesitant sigh. "Shiro… You're a scholar. You really shouldn't keep dreaming about becoming a trainer."
"…Huh?"
For a moment, Shiro wondered if there was something wrong with his hearing; he genuinely could not follow Rowan's train of thought.
"You said you used Haunter to deal with the pirate who tried to break into your room, correct?" Rowan asked.
"Yes," Shiro replied in confusion.
Rowan sighed again. Haunter. Gym-level. Ghost-type. Wasn't that clearly Agatha's Pokémon?
Trying to phrase things tactfully, he continued, "I understand that Agatha saved you, defeated and restrained the pirates, and forced information out of them. Honestly, as long as you stayed safe, that would already—"
"Professor Rowan!" Shiro cut in, unable to tolerate it any longer. "Is there any possibility that Haunter is actually my Pokémon, and that I really am the Galar Champion?"
"…"
Rowan seriously considered that possibility.
Shiro, a gifted Pokémon researcher, also the Galar Champion, who had to escape from the Galar region with great difficulty…
Was that possible?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
He then spoke earnestly. "Shiro, perhaps you need a Slowpoke to treat this condition of excessive imagination."
Bzzt!
Shiro hung up the call without another word.
Anyway, he had already cut ties with Galar, so whether Rowan believed him or not did not matter. Once he reached Sinnoh, he would crush all the rookie trainers at the League conference, sweep through the Elite Four, and seize the Champion title.
When that time came, Rowan would drop his jaw in shock.
That old man didn't have even a shred of trust in him.
Shiro's expression darkened as he put away his communicator.
**
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