Chapter 136: A Heaven-Defying Kitten?!
After sleeping for two hours, Will woke up to find the Lapras with its head on the shore, silently crying. A few Gligar were gathered around her, looking on with worry and helplessness.
Will turned his head. Sprigatito was still passed out on his stomach, but the Gligar cub from before was gone.
"Lapras, why are you crying again?"
Will picked up Sprigatito and set her aside. He walked over to the Lapras and gently stroked her large head.
"La-praas?"
"Of course you can. Your family is definitely still looking for you. You'll be able to go back to them sooner or later."
"La-praas?"
Will frowned and hesitated. Lapras was asking if he and Sprigatito could stay with her until her family found her. Although he didn't have much else to do, and staying for a while wouldn't affect his original plans, he wasn't particularly keen on remaining in this one area.
"La-praas..." The Lapras started crying again. She stretched her long neck and gently nipped the leaf blade on Will's arm, her actions expressing her wish for him not to leave.
"Alright, how about this? Sprigatito and I will stay on this island for a while. It's a good chance for me to train, too," Will said. He didn't specify for how long. His mental estimate was no more than a month. If it went longer than that, he would leave with Sprigatito and ask the Gligar on the island to take care of the little Lapras.
"La-praas~"
Hearing that Will was willing to stay, the Lapras was extremely moved. She pressed her large head firmly against his stomach, expressing her gratitude and joy.
"But before that, I have to ask the Gliscor Alpha's permission. This is her territory, after all. If she doesn't agree, we'll have to go to Cherrygrove City." Will turned his head and looked towards the small waterfall. He really did not want to take the Lapras to wait in a human city. He didn't even have to think about it. The three of them together would be surrounded by people every day. The Lapras might even be captured by a passing trainer before her family ever found her.
If that happened, his only choice would be to hand her over to Officer Jenny. Relying on the Johto League's power to help her find her family would be a safe route, but then she would have to stay all alone at the police station.
"That Gligar over there, could you please ask your leader to come here?" Will called out to a nearby Gligar.
"Gligar."
The Gligar nodded. It had been nearby the whole time and had heard the entire conversation. It ran a few steps, then flapped its wings and flew towards the waterfall, calling out. In less than two seconds, it glided back alone.
"Gligar~" it said with a smile, waving its pincers. The Gliscor Alpha didn't mind them staying on the island for a while, but Will was not to disturb her.
"Good. Then we'll be intruding for a while."
"Gligar-gar~"
The Gligar hopped up and down enthusiastically. Their clan welcomed Pokémon from the outside. He said he would ask his partners to help keep an eye on the surrounding sea for any sign of Lapras's family.
"La-praas~" Hearing this, Lapras was so moved she began to wail.
Although the ocean had terrifying Pokémon like the Tentacool, there were also many good Pokémon like Pichu, the Gligar, and Will. The newborn Lapras, having been lost and alone for two days, was beginning to form her own perception of the world. Yesterday, she had thought the world was a scary place. But today, she felt the outside world was actually quite beautiful. Not because it was inherently so, but because of the kind souls in it.
"And then there's this one..." Will turned his head and looked at Sprigatito, who hadn't even woken up after being tossed on the ground. A few Gligar cubs were gathered around her, amazed at her ability to sleep, quietly pointing and whispering.
While I'm here, I might as well train this little one.
Will crossed his arms and began to formulate a new training plan. First, of course, was his own strengthening. Although it seemed this life didn't require as much combat power, it was better to be prepared. He didn't need to reach the same intensity as his Mt. Silver training. When he had the energy, he would train. When he didn't, he would lie flat. This was the ideal life he had always wanted.
"Levels and moves are the most important. I don't think I'm lacking in skill, and even if I was, the Gligar here can't teach me."
Will's gaze swept around. The number of Gligar was huge. And it was worth noting that Gligar could learn many moves that a Grovyle could also learn. Take Fury Cutter and X-Scissor, for example. Those were moves he had to "recall," but for a Gligar, they could be learned naturally by leveling up. Among so many Gligar, there were bound to be high-level ones, and surely some talented ones who had learned other moves on their own.
He didn't even need to be formally taught. He could just battle them and learn by observing. Over time, not only would his level increase, but he would also learn new moves.
"The lack of other types of energy is a problem, though. I'll need to prepare in advance. Psychic, Bug, Fighting, Ground, Rock... I can consider those five. The others can wait."
Will nodded, his plan complete. He would plan his route before starting to train in every life; he was already an old hand at this.
"And then there's this little one... I'll just find a few Gligar to spar with her."
Will scratched his head. What Sprigatito needed most right now was to raise her level and gain battle experience. Moves weren't an urgent matter. The moves she could learn just by leveling up were already excellent, and her potential movepool was ridiculously diverse. Learning moves was not something that could be done overnight; they could take their time with that later.
"Alright, let's begin!"
"La-praas!" Lapras let out a long cry from the side, cheering him on with all her might.
That evening, a clueless Sprigatito woke up, thinking today would be another pleasant day. Who would have thought that after dinner, Will would drag over three young Gligar, who had also just left their infant stage, to gang up on her.
Sprigatito was furious!
Three minutes later, Sprigatito was on the ground. As the saying goes, even a master can be beaten by random punches, let alone a newborn calf like her.
When she thought she could finally rest, Will picked her up again and began to list all of her shortcomings in the battle.
"Meow," Sprigatito was annoyed and turned her head, refusing to listen.
Smack, smack.
After two spanks on her rear, she felt she could listen again.
Sprigatito hadn't been sleepy, but after a whole evening of training, she was exhausted. The next morning, she was woken up to fight again.
In these hellish days, Sprigatito had lost track of time. She only knew that one morning, when Will carved the seventh scratch mark on a tree, her body began to feel hot.
"Meow-meow!" she ran anxiously to Will, who was in the middle of a battle.
"Don't be scared. You're about to evolve."
"Meow?"
"It means you'll get taller, bigger, and stronger," Will said, unable to explain the complex concept of evolution. When explaining to young Pokémon, it was best to use the simplest language.
"Meow!" Hearing this, Sprigatito stood up straight with excitement! She was long ready to become a big cat and pull Will's tail.
"Meow-hehehe~"
Sprigatito, fantasizing about this scene again, let out a wicked,猥琐smile. The sudden surge of emotion accelerated the growth of energy in her body. Normally, Will would have smacked her to calm her down, but since she was already about to evolve, there was no need.
A white light enveloped the cackling Sprigatito. Lapras, who was in the nearby lake giving a few Gligar cubs a ride, was drawn by the light and swam over to watch.
The white light faded. A bipedal, light-green cat stood in her place.
Floragato.
"Oh? A growth spurt?" Will was a little surprised, looking at the kitten's new form.
Logically, with her height as a Sprigatito and her female gender, she should have been a little shorter than the Pokédex average after evolving. But now, whether it was because of her intense desire to grow tall or the super-nutritious food she had been eating, her height as a Floragato had actually surpassed the average. A normal Floragato is only 0.9 meters tall, but she was 1.1 meters. If she continued to grow at this rate, when she became a Meowscarada, she wouldn't just be a regular girl, but a tall, mature one.
"Meow!"
The first thing the Floragato did after evolving was to pounce in front of Will. And then she froze.
She stared blankly at Will's stomach, then slowly raised her head. I thought you said I would get taller and bigger?
"What are you doing?" Will asked, looking at the little cat, who was clearly planning some mischief. He reached out and tweaked her small ear. The Floragato's voice had changed a lot. As a Sprigatito, it had been a soft, babyish sound. Now, it had become a little more cunning and mischievous.
"...Meow," the Floragato said, turning away as if nothing had happened, intending to go back to training.
"Were you just thinking of rebelling? You want to defy the heavens?!"
Will was not about to let her off so easily. He grabbed the evolved Floragato and gave her two quick smacks.
"Meow!"
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