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Just as Professor Oak had said, Pupitar's appetite had indeed shrunk after evolving.
The leftover mud was lying overturned on the ground, but he didn't even spare it a glance. Once he had gotten used to his new body, he began hopping around the restaurant. Had Espurr not stopped him, Pupitar would probably have rammed into a wall just to test his newfound strength.
"He's a bit small... Could it be that the energy he stored up before wasn't enough?"
Luther picked up the Pokédex and scanned Pupitar again himself. According to the Pokédex's average data, a normal Pupitar should be around 1.2 meters tall. Yet, after evolving, Luther's Pupitar was not even a meter tall.
After returning to the Contestant Village, Luther immediately contacted Professor Oak. He really wanted to understand why his Pupitar was smaller than average.
After seeing Pupitar, Professor Oak laughed.
"What? Isn't this perfectly normal?"
Luther scratched his head. This was the first time he had encountered such a significant discrepancy from the Pokédex's average data.
"Many Pokémon continue to grow for a period even after evolving. Take your Azumarill, for example; her height already exceeds the average, doesn't it? By the way, remember to record her data again after the tournament ends and send it to me."
Ever since Professor Oak discovered that Luther's Azumarill had surpassed the average height and size listed in the Pokédex, Luther had periodically been measuring her.
"In the Pupitar stage, it slowly digests the energy stored in its previous body. Depending on the food you fed it before, as well as its own talent, the time it takes to evolve into Tyranitar could range from a few months to a few years."
Luther nodded repeatedly while opening his memo app to take notes.
"Oh, right, Luther." Professor Oak suddenly remembered something and warned him, "Pupitar at this stage tends to be very combative."
Without lifting his head, Luther typed the word 'combative' into his notes, then rubbed his cheek and said,
"He was already extremely combative when he was a Larvitar. He spent every day trying to spar with other Pokémon."
"Then you need to be even more careful. Compared to Larvitar, this form can make Pupitar feel rather uncomfortable. He feels like he's trapped inside a huge iron shell, which makes him irritable."
"As his new body gradually forms inside the shell, he'll become increasingly restless. He'll constantly want to vent his frustration and break free from the restraints of his body. If possible, I'd suggest letting him blow off steam from time to time."
After thanking Professor Oak for the advice, Luther received a message from Professor Rowan.
"Most Pupitar become extremely violent shortly before evolving. If your Pupitar starts showing that kind of behavior, it usually means evolution is not far away."
Violent, huh…
Luther glanced into the distance, where Pupitar was arrogantly showing off his new shell to Riolu.
Riolu had originally come over to congratulate Pupitar on evolving, but he kept bouncing around him with an obnoxious grin, saying things like:
"Thanks for kicking me earlier!"
Then:
"Evolution feels amazing!"
Riolu ended up swallowing all his congratulations back down.
You could not really call him violent, but calling him a little brat definitely fit.
Espurr wrapped her arms around Luther's neck and rubbed against him, as if complaining about how tiring it was to babysit.
Chansey and Jumpluff trained with Darkrai every day, leaving Espurr to deal with all the troublemakers on her own.
Following Darkrai's "friendly persuasion," Gengar helped Espurr take care of Milcery.
Nevertheless, Espurr was still responsible for watching over the hyperactive Pupitar, as well as keeping an eye on Chikorita and Mai's Joltik.
Chikorita and Joltik had already formed their own team. They were no longer satisfied with fishing in the artificial lake at Contestant Village. Recently, they had even seemed eager to try electrofishing...
Riolu suddenly leapt up and kicked Pupitar square in the forehead again.
Clearly, he had finally had enough of being provoked.
Even after being kicked, Pupitar did not fight back. Instead, he grinned cheerfully as he watched Riolu run off to complain to Ash.
Riolu pointed at Pupitar and launched into a furious tirade. Although Ash could not understand the words, he could clearly tell what Riolu meant.
He did not want to put up with this humiliation any longer.
He wanted to evolve too... immediately!
This left Ash completely stumped. Evolution didn't happen just because someone kicked you once.
Seeing Riolu become frustrated and pouty due to Pupitar's constant taunting, Pikachu could not help but comfort him before giving Azumarill a look.
Azumarill, who had been happily eating crisps, instantly understood. She dragged Pupitar back over to Luther's side.
Having realized how much Espurr was suffering, Luther decided to find Pupitar a new babysitter and sparring partner. Otherwise, Espurr was simply too overworked.
However, looking around the team, there did not seem to be any Pokémon that were stubborn and tough enough to act as both a punching bag and a training partner for Pupitar.
Chansey could not spare the time either. Darkrai had specifically requested extra training sessions with her recently.
While Luther was still thinking things over, a Gengar suddenly darted through the courtyard, grinning mischievously as he chased after Mai's Beautifly.
Dusknoir, who was standing beside Mai, had just been about to intervene when two dull thuds rang out.
Out of curiosity, Luther and the others stepped outside and saw Darkrai holding Gengar by the head and gesturing for Beautifly to hit it.
Backed up by Darkrai, Beautifly fired off a decisive Shadow Ball straight into Gengar's nervous-looking face.
It was only after Beautifly had vented her anger that Mai noticed Gengar had used a marker pen to draw circles all over her wings.
"Isn't that Jigglypuff's gimmick?"
Luther felt too tired to even complain. No wonder Dusknoir and Aggron always pinned Gengar down whenever he and Mai were talking.
This Gengar was seriously naughty.
Darkrai did not actually beat Gengar up. Instead, he pressed his face right up against Gengar's and stared him down until he was covered in cold sweat before finally letting go.
The moment he let go, Darkrai grabbed him again.
Aggron came stomping over furiously.
Mai held back her laughter, took out the handkerchief she had just used to clean Beautifly's wings, and walked over to Aggron. Standing on tiptoe, she wiped away the childish doodles scribbled across his forehead.
"Go on, give him a proper lesson! I approve. If he keeps acting this naughty in the future, Darkrai, beat him up properly."
Darkrai had spent a lot of time with Luther's team and had learned quite a lot about social etiquette.
Previously, when Gengar tried to scare Milcery, Darkrai had only really "talked" to him in a friendly manner. Admittedly, that 'friendly talk' involved trapping him in the shadows for a while, but he hadn't actually laid a hand on him.
Considering Luther and Mai's relationship, Darkrai had been fairly careful with his actions.
But now things were different.
Mai had given permission.
There was no need to hold back anymore.
Gengar stared in horror as Aggron and Darkrai dragged him away. Twisting his body around, he let out miserable cries towards Mai.
Mai merely smiled at him, signaling for him to stay strong.
Dusknoir thought about it for a moment before following after them as well. He seemed rather eager to join in.
Seeing Dusknoir move, Mismagius also floated after them to watch the fun.
Meanwhile, Luther watched Aggron's retreating figure and suddenly realized something…
Pupitar's sparring partner had finally been found.
(End of Chapter)