Shiro was about to leave when Lorelei, who was sitting by the coffee table behind him, suddenly raised her hand and said.
"Dr. Corviknight, you haven't finished explaining Slowpoke's evolution."
Slowpoke's evolution.
Slowpoke. Evolution.
A headache began to form as Shiro waved his hand dismissively. "Next time, for sure."
He walked out without hesitation and headed straight for the training room.
Lorelei blinked in confusion. "Next time, for sure?"
"Is that some kind of special evolution method?" Dale, meanwhile, fell into deep thought.
* * *
Inside the training room.
Shiro released his Pokémon in a straight line and addressed them with a serious expression.
"Time is tight, so we need to train whenever we can. The battle with Leon before relied on tricks. Everyone has to master fusion moves as soon as possible. Reaching Elite-level is the right path."
Drakloak lazily spun in the air before drifting to the side. Haunter nodded repeatedly to show that it understood.
"Haun, haun!"
"Growl!"
Growlithe barked without thinking, while Corviknight and Bewear naturally had no objections.
Even though he had never said it aloud, they all knew the truth. At Wyndon Stadium, they had relied on Mesprit's power to win.
In the other battles, only Corviknight and Drakloak were high level enough to carry most of the fight, with Bewear following behind. Haunter barely had a chance to appear before being taken down, and Growlithe and Vibrava were simply too low in level to contribute much.
In the end, it all came down to their levels.
'To raise your level, you rely on proper meals, training, and real battles. Experience is built little by little…'
As Unown A spoke, it floated to the front and lifted its single eye. If it had hands, they would probably be clasped behind its back like a strict head teacher's.
Teacher A was about to begin class again.
Haunter and Growlithe instantly grew tense, while Vibrava quietly shifted behind the others, trying to lower its presence.
'Alright, let's begin assigning today's tasks…' Unown A drifted back and forth as it spoke.
Witnessing this scene, Shiro shifted his gaze and took out a Poké Ball. It was Rhyperior's.
His original plan was to wait until they reached Professor Rowan's and Professor Oak's lab. He would then ask the two professors if treatment was possible. But now a new thought came to him.
Perhaps Mesprit had a solution.
A legendary Pokémon that controlled emotion treating a brainwashed Pokémon that had lost its memory and feelings. It was worth a try.
"Come out, Rhyperior."
Shiro threw the Poké Ball, and the sturdy Pokémon appeared. Its body was as strong as ever, yet its eyes remained dull and lifeless.
"Mesprit?" he called out softly.
Mesprit appeared before him with its arms crossed, floating quietly in midair.
"Take a look," he said, pointing at the blank-faced Rhyperior. "Can it still be saved?"
Mesprit's gaze shifted to the large orange-gray figure, and a thin layer of pale pink light covered its eyes as psychic power spread outward. The four pink extensions on its head lifted slightly into the air, and a faint glow soon enveloped Rhyperior's body as well.
Shiro waited patiently.
Mesprit usually spoke very little and almost always did as he asked. Only at certain times, when killing was involved, would it step forward to question him.
At first, he had assumed that was simply its nature. Even after being captured by humans, perhaps it could not tolerate such things.
But the sudden loss of control near Octillery Island proved otherwise.
It did not possess endless tolerance toward humans; it had merely used its power to suppress part of its emotions and forced itself to forget.
How dangerous.
Even now, recalling it sent a chill down his spine. A Master-level legendary Pokémon losing control over the sea. Even if he survived by luck, those two ships would likely sink into the ocean. Whether he could even return safely to Sinnoh would become uncertain.
That would be far too troublesome.
While Shiro was still lost in thought, Mesprit's voice sounded beside his ear.
'I've checked this Rhyperior's condition.'
Mesprit floated calmly in the air, its expression unchanged and its voice clear.
He snapped back to his senses and asked with a trace of hope, "Can it return to normal now?"
Mesprit shook its head.
Shiro paused but quickly accepted it.
That made sense. Rhyperior had once been brainwashed and modified by Macro Cosmos' technology. Who knew what drugs or precise machines they had used. Its problem was not just lost emotions. Its brain was likely damaged.
Mesprit could restore emotions, but it could not repair a brain.
Forcing a small smile, Shiro took out the Poké Ball to recall it, but a wave of psychic power pressed gently against his hand.
He looked at Mesprit in surprise.
It explained, 'This Rhyperior's brain has indeed suffered some damage, but that does not mean it cannot be repaired.'
"Then why—"
He was cut off before finishing.
'Because there are still machines created by you humans inside its brain. They must be removed through a delicate surgery, and you will also need a Pokémon skilled in healing to assist.'
Floating above Rhyperior's head, one of its tails pointed toward the skull.
'If I forcibly remove them with psychic power now, it could cause irreversible damage to its brain. At that point, it would never recover.'
Shiro let out a breath and asked with rising excitement in his chest, "So that means it can be restored to how it was before…"
'Impossible,' Mesprit replied, shaking its head once more. 'Even if repaired, its brain will become a blank sheet. It will not remember anything from before.'
Shiro fell silent for a moment, then gradually accepted the reality.
Maybe losing its memory was not entirely a bad thing. Strictly speaking, Rhyperior had been raised by another Gym-level trainer; even if restored, it might struggle to adapt to someone new.
As for the machines in its brain, he would probably need Professor Rowan or Professor Oak to help. The details could wait until they reached the research lab.
After thinking it through, he recalled Rhyperior.
When Shiro looked up again, Mesprit had drifted to the window inside the training room, gazing out at the blue and white light reflecting off the sea.
Almost unconsciously, he walked over as well.
Mesprit's body was bathed in the shimmer of the white waves, and the deep red gems set in its two tails behind it glowed brilliantly, carrying a faint, mysterious power.
That power stirred a deep sadness in his heart, one he could not hold back.
**
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