A week can be very fast, or it can be very slow.
It mainly depends on one's state of mind and personal feelings.
Amidst the day-after-day concentration of spirit, focusing of will, and soulful gazing at that polished metal spoon...
Ash felt that time passed quite quickly. After all, there was a clear improvement.
But Alakazam's feelings were not so wonderful. Why are you improving so slowly?
Inside that dedicated training room at the Saffron Gym.
The atmosphere shifted from being initially full of anticipation to gradually becoming heavy, until finally solidifying into a kind of oppressive dullness.
Ash sat cross-legged on a soft cushion, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, his brows locked so tight they almost formed a knot.
He gripped the spoon—condensed by Alakazam as a training tool—tightly with both hands, the veins on the back of his hands bulging slightly from excessive force.
With all my will!
With all my spirit!
With my supreme wisdom!
*—System! Let me see your limits!
Ash roared the same thought repeatedly in his heart: Bend! Bend! Bend for me!
However, that seemingly ordinary spoon stubbornly maintained its straight line, coldly reflecting the soft light of the room, as if silently mocking all of Ash's efforts over the past seven days.
It didn't show even a hint of visible bending, standing so firm it made one question life.
This couldn't be helped.
Ash originally had no talent for Psychic powers; he wasn't a natural-born Psychic.
Even if he wanted to work hard at it later in life, results weren't something that could be seen in just seven days.
His current Psychic talent was merely a tiny bit brought by the System Badge.
However, the System had explained it—
[Saffron Gym · Marsh Badge: A trace increase in the Trainer's Psychic-type affinity (Energy Perception/Resistance), trace enhancement of basic physical fitness.]
[Psychic-type affinity trace increase]
So Ash's Psychic talent was really only that tiny little bit.
Theoretically speaking, he had achieved a breakthrough from 0 to 1.
And then... there was no 'then'.
Now he had talent, but that talent was really nothing to write home about.
"Pika..." Pikachu crouched worriedly to the side, its tail drooping listlessly.
It looked at Ash's increasingly red face and the top of his head that was almost smoking. It couldn't help but gently tug at his pant leg with a small paw, emitting a comforting low cry.
Pikachu had even tried secretly releasing a trace of weak electric current, wanting to see if it could 'help'.
The result was a stopping glare from Alakazam—cheating is meaningless.
This wasn't an exam.
This was daily cultivation.
Cheating on an exam might at least have some benefits.
Cheating in daily cultivation is useless.
"Maa maa maa!" Misdreavus had long since lost her initial patience.
She floated around the training room irritably, sometimes baring her teeth at that stubborn spoon, and other times glaring at Ash with a look of 'hating iron for not becoming steel'.
In her view, wasting precious time on such stupid things with no progress was simply the greatest sin!
With this time, it would be better to go on a date or enjoy life.
Although Misdreavus was a Ghost-type, she could also use Psychic powers.
Many Pokémon have more or less some Psychic talent; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to use Psychic-type moves.
And in Misdreavus's view... Ash's Psychic talent was truly no good.
However, Misdreavus's state was still okay.
The most miserable one was the leader of this 'teaching'—Alakazam.
Its state perfectly interpreted what is meant by "from expectation to disappointment, from disappointment to despair, and then from despair to rampage."
What was the process like?
It was roughly as follows.
—Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.
Alakazam could still maintain that unfathomable "retired veteran cadre" posture, hovering to the side.
It would occasionally use Psychic powers to transmit some encouragement and more detailed guidance, or pick up the remote control to watch the news and switch its mood.
Although it felt that Ash seemed, perhaps, maybe... to have somewhat poor talent.
But it shouldn't be a big problem.
—But by the fourth day.
When Ash still couldn't even make the spoon tremble, the smile on Alakazam's face gradually disappeared.
It began to frequently switch TV channels. Soap operas, food programs, and even boring weather forecasts could not calm the anxiety gradually rising in its heart.
Its long white mustache began to move without wind, the amplitude getting larger and larger.
—Fifth day.
Alakazam completely gave up watching TV.
It sat cross-legged in the air, arms crossed over its chest, a pair of eyes locked dead onto Ash and that spoon, its brows furrowed even tighter than Ash's.
Occasionally, it couldn't help but feel anxious in secret:
Leverage principle!
Information difference!
Not brute force!
Use your brain!
Use your brain, do you understand?!
Telekinesis is the Alpha waves of the brain modifying physical information to intervene in reality!
This is the essence of Telekinesis!
Telekinesis is not kinetic energy, but operation permissions.
Its own power is negligible, but the system power it can leverage is infinite.
The importance of Telekinesis precision is far greater than intensity. You can use tiny power to dial the most basic information of the material world.
Using the leverage effect as a metaphor—Telekinesis only needs to provide that initial "ignition," and the chain reaction will maintain itself and amplify exponentially, eventually releasing nuclear explosion energy equivalent to thousands or tens of thousands of tons of TNT.
Of course, Alakazam didn't expect Ash to reach such an outrageous level.
After all, it couldn't do that itself either.
But how can you not even bend a spoon?
—Sixth day.
Alakazam began to scratch its ears and cheeks.
Its image full of wisdom was completely gone. Sometimes it pulled its mustache hard, sometimes it hit its own forehead with a spoon, making crisp "clang clang" sounds.
The thoughts it transmitted already carried obvious breakdown and disbelief.
Alakazam: How is this possible?!
Alakazam: Even the dullest Slowpoke would have some reaction after a week!
Alakazam: Was your mental power eaten by Pikachu?!
Originally, Alakazam thought that since Sabrina handed Ash over to it, he wouldn't be too bad.
But it really didn't expect it to be like this.
Emm...
Because Sabrina's own Psychic power was too strong, she wasn't very concerned about the training of her Pokémon.
Except for Alakazam, who had always followed her.
The others she raised were Mr. Mime, Espeon, Jynx, Exeggutor, and Slowbro.
Sabrina did not collect and raise Psychic-type Pokémon from other regions.
So under her command, the one most suitable to teach Ash was indeed Alakazam.
—Finally, the evening of the seventh day arrived.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the high windows of the training room, plating the cold room with a layer of warm orange, yet it could not dispel the frozen, cold atmosphere here.
Ash made one last attempt.
He used almost every ounce of strength he had, his face turning purple-red, his temples throbbing, feeling as if his brains were about to boil from excessive exertion.
Ash stared dead at the spoon, and a silent scream erupted in his heart: Bend for me!!!
However.
The spoon remained straight.
"Hu—!!!"
A roar of collapse containing monstrous anger, disappointment, grievance, and "I haven't taught such a stupid student in my entire life" reached Ash's ears.
As for the meaning within it?
Alakazam: You have made me lose all face in the education world!!
Alakazam: No wonder Sabrina didn't teach you and ran away herself, leaving me to teach you!
Alakazam: Huge loss of face!
Alakazam suddenly jumped up from its suspended state.
Its originally kindly face was completely twisted, its eyes spraying out substantial blue Psychic light.
It snatched the spoon from Ash's hand, didn't even look at it, gripped the handle and the head with two claws, and exploded with Psychic power!
Creak—Bang!
That indestructible training spoon that had accompanied Ash for seven days was easily twisted into a pretzel under Alakazam's terrifying Telekinesis like a fragile biscuit, and then scattered into pieces!
Ash, Pikachu, and Misdreavus were all frozen in fright by this sudden scene.
Immediately after, without waiting for Ash to make any reaction, the furious Alakazam turned abruptly. A majestic yet extremely precisely controlled Telekinesis, like an invisible giant wave, crashed onto Ash!
"Waaah!"
Ash only felt an irresistible great force coming at him. His body instantly left the ground, flying backward like a kite with a broken string.
The scene before his eyes retreated rapidly, and the gate of the training room magnified rapidly in his field of vision.
Bang!!
Accompanied by a muffled sound, the heavy metal doors of the Gym were slammed open from the inside by an invisible force.
Ash was placed steadily outside the door.
Charmeleon, Pidgeotto, Pikachu, and Misdreavus were also "sent" out screaming, landing beside Ash.
Clang!
The metal doors slammed heavily shut behind them, emitting a loud noise symbolizing "Unwelcome."
Faintly, one could still hear the sounds of Alakazam stamping its feet in exasperation and roaring with unclear meaning coming from inside the door.
The general meaning was—"Stupid beyond reach, rotten wood cannot be carved."
Uh... this is just what happens when a teacher is driven crazy by a student, right?
Driven crazy?
Emmm...
At this moment, the atmosphere was dead silent.
The air outside the Gym door seemed dead.
Ash's hat was crooked to one side, his face still holding shock and confusion.
He looked at the Pokémon beside him who were equally bewildered.
Then he looked up at the tightly closed door that seemed like it would never open for him again.
A complex emotion mixing extreme awkwardness and a trace of relief surged into his heart.
Ash: Teacher Alakazam, it's really not that I didn't try hard!
Ash: The perceptual part is okay to say. If it's just guiding Psychic power to act on myself through emotion and will, Agility is still relatively easy to learn.
Ash: But when Psychic power acts externally... releasing Psychic power through calculation of observation angles... maximizing interaction... further extending to spatial changes.
Ash: I really can't learn it!
Ash's talent was indeed somewhat skewed.
His Psychic power was very weak, but it could be effective on his body under the action of his will.
But when he wanted it to act externally... he felt his brain wasn't quite enough.
Numerically, he wasn't strong enough to perform miracles with brute force.
Mechanically, he couldn't play the operation.
What was this like?
Yuan Ge players are flashy and fancy.
Where is the comfort of us Arthur players?
But is the real problem compatibility?
Compared to Pokémon like Alakazam and Metagross whose thinking abilities are comparable to supercomputers.
Alakazam—has a brain faster than a supercomputer, with an IQ of roughly 5000.
Metagross—four brains connected together, forming a complex neural network, a Pokémon even smarter than a supercomputer.
Perhaps Psychic-type Pokémon dominated by emotions like Gardevoir and Hatterene are more suitable to teach Ash.
Gardevoir—when protecting a Trainer with whom its heart is connected, it will release the strongest mental power, creating a small black hole.
Hatterene—the Forest Witch. Because it releases mental power strong enough to cause headaches to the surroundings, other creatures hide far away when they see it.
Ash felt his head swell just thinking about the string of calculation formulas Alakazam gave him.
This isn't Academy City, and he had never heard of Esper development.
Why does learning Psychic powers require computing power and calculation formulas like aaaaah?!
"Pika..." Pikachu approached cautiously, rubbing its head against Ash's arm, its eyes full of sympathy.
Although it also felt that Ash indeed had no talent in Psychic powers, being kicked out so roughly was a bit too miserable.
"Maa! Maa maa maa!" Misdreavus was jumping in the air with anger, baring her fangs and claws at the Gym door.
If not for the scruples regarding Alakazam's strength, she probably would have rushed in to settle accounts with that old fox.
—How dare you treat my Trainer like this!
Unforgivable!
Misdreavus, Big Angry!
"??" Pidgeotto didn't understand anything.
Those black eyes were full of clarity like water, holy quality as in the beginning.
"..." Charmeleon felt the atmosphere was a bit wrong.
But it couldn't say what was wrong.
"It's okay, it's okay." Ash smiled and patted the dust off his body, picking up his hat and putting it on properly.
"Forget it..." He muttered helplessly to himself. "It seems that in terms of Psychic powers, I might really... have no destiny with it."
He couldn't even do the most basic spoon bending, let alone Teleportation or Telekinesis.
He could only see if he could rely on the System to amplify his Psychic talent and strengthen his base stats in the future.
The current situation was that Ash's base Psychic talent value was too low.
Alakazam's opinion was to rely on operation to make up for the stats.
The problem is, is operation level that easy to improve?
Do you really think anyone can be like a certain Dr. Chen, destroying the world with 5 kilograms of telekinetic force output?
To put it nicely—that's a 'Da Luo' retracing their path!
To put it harshly—that's a big shot smurfing in a beginner pond!
"Let's go, Pikachu, Mengmeng."
Ash stood up and took one last look at the Saffron Gym.
"Since this path is blocked, we will continue to become stronger in our own way!!"
Of course.
That was what he said.
Actually, it wasn't that there were no gains at all.
If there were no gains at all, Ash wouldn't have persisted here in vain for seven days.
At the very least, Ash could now fully understand the meaning of his Pokémon's cries.
Although there was still a slight barrier in communicating with wild Pokémon.
But communication with his own Pokémon was already unimpeded.
Alakazam feeling the teaching didn't go well was just from Alakazam's perspective.
Alakazam's expectation value was too high.
From Ash's perspective, he was quite satisfied.
After all, he had mastered [Agility].
Perhaps this is the talent of a Super Pallet Town human?
All talent points added to the body.
However.
There was still a small problem right now.
Gyarados was still being fostered in the Gym's pool.
So—
"Open the door!"
"My Gyarados is still inside!"
"Hey!"
"Teacher Alakazam!"
"At least let my Gyarados out!"
The gate of the Saffron Gym was banged loudly by Ash.
Although he didn't know Mage moves like Telekinesis.
But when he added spiritual power to his body and liberated his physical strength to act as a Warrior, he was still very good at it.
He could use his fists to knock on the iron door.
Bang!*
The gate of the Saffron Gym suddenly opened.
A dumbfounded Gyarados was thrown out.
Accompanying Gyarados was Alakazam's final message—Don't say I taught you your Psychic powers after you leave!
____
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