"Slaking." Watching this Pokémon, Natsuhiko softly uttered its name.
Lazy Old Man, Vigoroth, Slaking—these three forms of Pokémon also represent their three states: lazy, frenzied, lazy, seemingly an unbreakable cycle.
So many Trainers who like the Lazy Old Man type Pokémon, after their Pokémon evolves into Vigoroth, choose not to let it evolve again.
Slaking is strong, but this trait is indeed somewhat unsettling.
However, Natsuhiko knows that among those who train Lazy Old Man, Vigoroth, and Slaking type Pokémon, there is one person who has the most authority.
That person is Senri, the Dojo Leader of Chenghua City's dojo in the Hoenn Region!
Though a Dojo Leader, his strength is in no way less than some of the Elite Four, as a Trainer specializing in General Type Pokémon, Senri is quite capable in Pokémon training, and his specialty lies in training the type of Lazy Old Man, Vigoroth, and Slaking Pokémon.
His ace Pokémon is a Slaking.
But Senri's Slaking is different from others because it is not lazy at all.
What concept is a non-lazy Slaking?
With this non-lazy Slaking, Senri can proudly stand above most Elite Trainers, even equating to some Elite Four level Trainers.
But Senri is a family man and prefers not to become one of the Elite Four, traveling around and unable to take care of his household; therefore, he remains as Dojo Leader in the modest city of Chenghua City in the Hoenn Region.
No one knows how Senri raised that non-lazy Slaking; even Senri himself, after training so many Lazy Old Men and Vigoroths, only managed to raise one non-lazy Slaking.
As a result, many people ponder what trait Senri's Slaking has, whether it is still "lazy," and if not, what it might be?
Some have tried experimenting to change Slaking's trait through "Trait Swap" into other traits, such as "Strongman."
The final result is…
Well, Slaking is still not a Pokémon that people are enthusiastic about.
Strong as it is, its shortcomings are evident.
And now, in front of Natsuhiko, there is a "lazy" Slaking.
It lay under a tree with its head propped up, its lazy eyes glanced over Natsuhiko and his Pokémon, finally resting its gaze on Doublade.
"Eh?!"
Noticing Slaking's gaze, Doublade shivered.
Danger!
"Hoot—"
Slaking suddenly shook itself, supported its knees, and slowly stood up.
Towering over two meters high, it looked down at Doublade, its lazy eyes gradually showing a bit of interest.
"Hoot!"
It stretched out a broad, calloused hand and beckoned a finger towards Doublade.
"Eh!"
Doublade shook its head, retreated two steps, and turned to look pleadingly at Natsuhiko.
Natsuhiko furrowed his brows.
From Slaking's actions, it may not be difficult to see that it has taken an interest in Doublade, perhaps feeling threatened by the power of Doublade's previous Holy Sword Slash combined technique, or maybe because of the significant damage Doublade inflicted upon Slaking's tribe—Vigoroths.
What is the strength of this Slaking?
Natsuhiko didn't know.
So he gave Doublade a look.
Doublade, with a pouty face, slowly turned its head, looking at Slaking's muscular chest, swallowed gently.
But there is no choice; it must face it because Natsuhiko wants it to… slash away!
Clang!
Slash away then slash away!
The sword edge turned, the gleaming blade brushed through the air emitting a low hum.
Dark red airflow surged, covering Doublade entirely before quickly dissipating.
The Sword Dance technique was once again released.
Following this, the massive blue spectral Holy Sword swelled from its blade, and the third slash of Holy Sword Slash was yet unfinished.
Indeed, real combat is the best way to enhance one's strength, Doublade's Holy Sword Slash combo technique progressed from initially unconnectable to now barely sustaining the third slash's duration; how many days has it been?
The high-frequency, high-intensity battles in the Alternate Space forced it to quickly grasp the essence of connecting moves and gradually learn and master them.
Of course, Doublade's rapid progress is partly attributable to its dual personality trait, allowing multitasking, even more.
Otherwise, other Pokémon aiming to master this kind of combo technique would find it either impossible or highly challenging.
It can be said this is the combo technique carefully planned by Natsuhiko specifically for Doublade's traits.
Clank!!
With the forming of the Holy Sword specter, Doublade let go of its fear, gaze calm like water, as it dropped its blade.
"Hoot!"
Sensing the threat Doublade's move brought, Slaking growled lowly, revealing rare excitement.
Not dodging.
Clenching its sandbag-sized sturdy fist, gathering the force, threads of flame peeked through its fingers, encapsulating the fist in an instant.
Meeting Doublade's Holy Sword Slash with a "simple yet powerful" Flame Fist.
Clang!!!
A crisp sound.
Slaking's eyes revealed surprise, immense force transmitted through its arm forcing it to retreat two steps before finally stabilizing itself.
On the other side, Doublade was not as lucky as its body got launched flying backward, crashing into a tree before barely managing to stabilize its form and prevent further retreat.