Chapter 342: Explosive Surge in Strength (Mega Combined Chapter!)

The theft incident came to an end.

The battle tent arc also wrapped up for good.

Baimu began focusing on raising his own Pokémon, striving to raise their levels while attempting to learn more moves.

And thanks to Manchu and his highly skilled Pokémon, every aspect of Baimu's progress moved along quite swiftly, exceeding the learning plan he had set for himself upon arriving in Greenfield Town.

As his Pokémon grew step by step, he was endlessly grateful to the green-haired boy, often inviting the latter over to sample his cooking.

Manchu was also happy to forge a deeper friendship with Baimu; he basically had no friends, and aside from his own Pokémon, the person he dealt with most day to day was his older cousin A-Man.

He treasured a like-minded friend like Baimu all the more, always crowding around him to chat, and whenever he had free time he would search for the other's figure near the inn.

However.

He often worried that pestering the other so frequently might invite Baimu's impatience and annoyance, even though the latter had never shown such an attitude, and would even smile and say "You're here" upon seeing him.

Manchu felt this was the happiest stretch of time he had experienced since returning from Kanto.

Every time Baimu's Pokémon learned a new move and his own Pokémon gained new insights, the joy of growing together made him unable to contain his delight.

The beauty of a "Rival"!

To have someone moving forward alongside him — what a wonderful thing that turned out to be!

Swept clean of his past gloom, the gradually brightening Manchu felt a goal, at first a little vague but slowly coming into focus, slowly rise within his heart.

And once he realized what he was thinking, excitement and nervousness rose together, leaving him unsure how to convey his thoughts to Baimu, and worried that the goal he had set might earn the other's displeasure.

At the root of it, Manchu had no idea how Baimu regarded him.

But in order to better get his feelings across, after several bouts of internal struggle he laid his cards on the table with the latter.

"I-I think I've found my goal!"

"That's great, what is it?"

"I want to grow as firmly as you do, until someday in the future, I can compete with you for the Ore Region Champion!" After saying this, Manchu's heart was like drums and gongs being struck, the rapid pounding of his heart clearly audible in his ears.

Especially upon seeing the slightly startled look on the other's face, he couldn't help but clench his fists tight.

He treasured Baimu as a friend, yet still chose to lay everything bare at the risk of being disliked, because he didn't want to deceive himself or the other.

To win Baimu's understanding with a sincere attitude.

That was what Manchu thought in his heart, but in reality he was uneasy to the extreme.

At this moment.

Baimu also gave him a response, nodding very calmly. "That's great, congratulations."

"…You're not angry?" Manchu said carefully.

"Why would I be angry? Being a Trainer means competing with countless people. You wanting to compete with me makes me nothing but happy, because it means you've placed me on equal footing with you."

"Eh? I-I never looked down on—"

"I know."

Baimu patted Manchu on the shoulder, and amid the latter's flustered expression said: "Rival is a great word — it can push us to improve together. Let's both do our best. The Ore Champion is mine for the taking, so you'd better be prepared to get knocked flat on your back."

Feeling the warmth from the other's palm, Manchu's emotions gradually settled down as well.

"Yeah!"

He nodded firmly. "I'll definitely do my best!"

In the final analysis, Manchu actually just wanted to chase after Baimu's footsteps and move forward together with him. Seeing the latter's such swift progress, while his fighting spirit was kindled, he was extremely worried that one day he would no longer be able to see Baimu's back.

Perhaps right now the latter was still not his match, but he knew that one day he would be surpassed — surpassed very quickly.

【Rival】.

Manchu desperately hoped he could take his place on equal footing with Baimu.

——

Day after day went by.

Each of Baimu's Pokémon gained new harvests.

A cause for joy.

Among them.

On the third day of learning Draco Meteor.

Hydreigon displayed the talent of an outstanding graduate of the Dragon Village "kindergarten," achieving breakthrough progress.

The dragon-type energy blasts piercing the sky burst open like blossoms.

Peng De went the sound.

Like fireworks, dazzling meteors bloomed out toward all directions, and like tracer rounds they flashed and thundered as they slammed into the ground, continually blasting up dust and forming craters large and small.

Without a doubt, by this point Hydreigon had mastered the use of Draco Meteor.

What came next was improving the precision of Draco Meteor, along with this guy's wild idea — releasing Draco Meteor with two heads. But what's the point of doing it that way?

Without amplification moves or intense emotional fluctuations, the total amount of type-energy a move consumes remains unchanged.

Firing off more energy blasts won't increase the damage.

If one had to say, it would just increase the number of tracer rounds, raising the probability of the opponent being bombarded in succession. But before that, one must first overcome the important problem of splitting a single energy blast in the chest-belly area into two.

Avoiding the two energy blasts canceling each other out after detonation is already advanced material.

Seeing Hydreigon's enthusiastic appearance, Baimu didn't say much, treating it merely as seasoning during the level-grinding period to build experience with Draco Meteor.

Sparring with Pokémon like Garchomp also gradually quickened the pace of Hydreigon's growth.

The increasingly polished battle techniques and surging emotions made Baimu suspect whether this guy might "evolve early" like Lance's Dragonite, perhaps evolving into Dragapult before reaching level sixty?

Of course.

That was just a passing thought.

Whether it can evolve early depends entirely on whether the right opportunity comes along.

Meanwhile.

After completing its Will-O-Wisp training, Galarian Sun Coral had also successfully mastered a key defensive move—【Protect】—and learned a third new move upon leveling up.

【Dark Pulse】.

To be honest, Galarian Sun Coral's initial attempts at learning Protect didn't go smoothly; after days of effort, there wasn't even a hint of progress.

It made All Baimu quite worried.

Until one morning.

The Double-Headed Tyrant, as usual, tried to take a bite out of Galarian Sun Coral, only to bite into a green membrane of light, its entire mouth freezing in place.

Fortunately, it still had one head left to call its trainer for help.

By the time All Baimu came out of the bathroom, Protect had already ended, and he only caught a glimpse of green light.

Based on the Double-Headed Tyrant's description afterward, he instantly judged that Galarian Sun Coral had used Protect—only Protect produces green light and absorbs impact to the greatest extent.

Clearly, Galarian Sun Coral had been secretly training hard; after days of effort it finally crossed the final threshold, which was truly cause for celebration.

Will-O-Wisp, Protect, and Dark Pulse—this one had smoothly completed the plan set at the start, while charging down the road to exceeding its mission.

All Baimu was so delighted he picked it up and gave it a vigorous rub.

Who would have thought that the slacker Galarian Sun Coral would actually—it's so warm, I'm crying.

The "coffin"-violently-shaking Galarian Sun Coral: "?"

Is something wrong with you?

But it really had worked hard, to the point of learning three moves in a short period—even though Will-O-Wisp was the result of over a month of brewing, it still deserved praise.

After all, everyone knows perfectly well what Galarian Sun Coral's situation is.

And while the progress of these two was certainly heartening, it was actually far surpassed by the third—

Porygon.

Ever since mastering the trick of learning Trick Room, this one was like it had triggered some key program, going wild on expanding its current move pool.

First Ice Beam, then Psychic, followed by Ally Switch, Agility, and Discharge.

Five!

Without relying on All Baimu's simulator, it had single-handedly become the new generation's move-learning machine.

He had thought Galarian Sun Coral learning three moves was already "unrivaled," but he didn't expect Porygon to be even fiercer! Truly the rising star of the team!

Once it started growing, it was so rapid that All Baimu, while pleasantly surprised, kept a constant eye on Porygon's trust level.

Five hearts.

Not far from the six hearts recommended for evolution.

He wasn't in a hurry, because the bond between a person and their Pokémon can't be built in a day; sometimes deeply memorable events can quickly warm their relationship, but in the end, every little bit of daily life is equally precious.

It was precisely thanks to this natural progression that Porygon was able to slowly integrate into the big family, find its place, and maintain trust in All Baimu as the head of the household.

Cherishing every battle opportunity the latter gave it, every bit of trust given without hesitation.

Win, and laugh together; lose, accept the criticism and start over.

Trust is built step by step like this.

Porygon knew All Baimu had considerable expectations for it, and it also wanted to repay him with real action, charging toward the peak together with its companions.

As if he could feel its determination.

All Baimu had recently been rapidly increasing the number of battles he arranged for Porygon, at one point matching the Double-Headed Tyrant that was grinding levels.

Overall.

None of the three Pokémon with predetermined goals had disappointed him; they had even exceeded their missions, and it was honestly a bit unexpected that they could be so worry-free.

Finally, the newly joined shiny Feebas must be mentioned.

To let it interact with the other Pokémon in the room, All Baimu specifically bought a large fish tank, making it convenient for it to communicate with Pokémon like Aggron.

At first, the rather timid shiny Feebas didn't dare look at Aggron and the others—after all, these guys' auras were really too fierce.

Only on Chansey did it sense a quality that made it feel at ease.

But as Aggron and the others consistently maintained a friendly attitude, Feebas gradually mustered its courage and began responding to their voices or greetings.

All Baimu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Feebas is a creature that even the vast majority of Pokémon find ugly; presumably, besides the innate part of Feebas's personality, a large portion also came from being despised by other Pokémon.

Through Chansey, he also learned that Feebas, like the former Mawile, had not a single friend in the boy's ecological park.

Of course.

They were fundamentally different—Mawile simply disdained making friends with other Pokémon and didn't want to waste the time, while Feebas wanted to befriend other Pokémon but, being too ugly, ran into walls everywhere, and was even attacked by other shiny Pokémon.

Chansey couldn't hide the heartache on her face as she spoke; she couldn't stand seeing such lonely children.

"Don't worry, Aggron and the others aren't that childish." All Baimu comforted Chansey, gesturing for her to look over at the fish tank.

They could clearly see Mawile standing in front of the fish tank, showing Feebas various pretty accessories and objects; the latter excitedly flicked its tail, a few hints of cheerful smiles on its thin face.

An extremely harmonious scene.

This wasn't because Mawile pitied Feebas; it was simply that once it learned the shiny Feebas could participate in Pokémon Contests alongside it in the future, it showed tremendous interest.

Running to the fish tank to interact with Feebas was something Mawile had been doing frequently lately.

And facing a Pokémon that anyone would find cute like Mawile, the shiny Feebas inevitably felt a bit inferior and didn't quite dare to interact with it.

It's just that shiny Feebas was also naturally fond of beauty—when it saw the things Mawile thought were pretty, it would think they were pretty too; plus the latter's attitude had always been quite good, never showing a look of disgust.

The relationship between the two Pokémon quickly became friendly.

With this breakthrough.

Gradually.

Feebas no longer felt afraid of the other Pokémon, even Aggron, the Double-Headed Tyrant, and Steelix.

It discovered that Aggron looked fierce, but was actually very gentle in temperament. Normally it didn't mind whoever attacked it, and was always showing off its wounds.

And occasionally it would swim together with it, especially when the trainer brought it to the small river, it would even help drive away those ferocious Tentacruel and Carvanha, asking if it was okay.

From then on, when Feebas looked at Aggron, it would not only not be afraid, but would feel it was very cool and very reliable.

It had clearly become a little fangirl.

And Doublade's initial impression on it was "the youngest little brother in the family," always clinging to the trainer acting spoiled, full of energy and exceptionally lively in appearance... occasionally looking not very smart.

But Feebas's most vivid memory of it was when it was playing with a balloon in the pool, accidentally let it fly away, and the other took the initiative to help it pick it back up.

The Doublade at that time had a temperament completely different from when it was by the trainer's side, as if it had changed from a kindergarten elementary school student into a composed and calm adult. It didn't screech anymore, and only responded to its thanks with a nod.

When its two heads looked toward Aggron, Feebas could feel a strong will.

Just like those powerful shiny Pokémon it had once seen, fighting each other trying to compete for superiority.

Was Doublade's relationship with Aggron bad?

Looking carefully, it didn't quite seem like it.

Feebas's brain made it hard to associate anything called competitive awareness. In any case, it understood Doublade's obsession, and that side of it unknown to the trainer.

Steelix...

It didn't see this one often, mostly catching a glimpse during battles and practice. At first Steelix's size scared it, but later it discovered this fellow was actually a bit silly, and had a good temper and wouldn't dislike it.

Mm.

This point was very important.

And the fiercest three had all adapted, so the rest naturally went without saying. Chansey was its second friend besides Mawile (self-proclaimed), Galarian Corsola slept basically all day with almost no interaction, and Porygon would occasionally smile at it, should be able to develop into a third friend.

The fish tank might be smaller than the pond in the ecological garden, but life was better than before.

The pond was large, but the disliked self couldn't leave the vicinity of its nest at all, easily bullied by other Pokémon.

The fish tank was small, but the trainer would always take it to wide pools, and occasionally to small rivers and streams, to swim together in the water.

The surrounding Pokémon were also very friendly.

The key was the food was also very delicious.

Feebas was very satisfied with its current life, and wanted it to continue just like this.

Although it was a bit weak and a bit ugly, the trainer took such good care of it and didn't dislike it, there must be something it needed to rely on it for, right?

Feebas hoped that when that day came, it could be a bit more helpful.

As for evolution... this word was a bit vague and hard for it to understand. The trainer even took out a picture of a very beautiful Pokémon to show it, saying that if it worked hard it could evolve into that appearance.

Geez, the trainer really liked to joke around too.

If it could evolve into that appearance, it would definitely work itself to death!

—

The juniors worked hard.

The seniors naturally wouldn't remain unmoved.

The Iron Town Four Heroes, led by Aggron, were also slowly moving forward on their own paths.

All Baimu had recently given the treasured 【Thunder】 move to Aggron, and tried to improve its power in special attacks. The latter did not disappoint him either; the released Thunder's power was very satisfying.

It's just that leveling up was really slow, like a rocket before level seventy, like a snail after level seventy.

The clear watershed made him understand just how arduous the road to the strongest was, and just how much talent and brilliance the Champion and the Champion's Pokémon possessed.

And since leveling didn't support rapid growth.

He had Aggron start learning more special attack moves, such as high-power big moves like Flamethrower, Focus Blast, Blizzard, Hyper Beam, Solar Beam, making a little progress on the special attack cannon platform.

As a result, these moves weren't learned, but instead it comprehended 【High Horsepower】, a Ground-type physical attack move, from colliding with Steelix.

It was clearly aiming for Heavy Slam, who would have thought it would backfire.

But it was better than nothing; High Horsepower as a Ground-type move was quite strong.

Aggron was also very satisfied with this move; it, who loved clashing head-on with people, liked this kind of charging move the most.

Compared to it.

Mawile wasn't so happy. It was originally aiming for Foul Play, wanting to learn the technique of using force against force, but somehow the skill pool lit up 【Psychic Fangs】 instead.

Perhaps it had something to do with how it had recently been using Crunch to tear at Chansey's Telekinesis, getting infected by Psychic-type energy.

But according to the trainer's evaluation, the move Psychic Fangs would have its time to shine.

Plus recently the trainer had somehow made it learn Shadow Clone again.

The comforted Mawile's mindset immediately stabilized considerably.

Furthermore, its level hadn't yet reached the kind of bottleneck Aggron had, and could continue to grow.

Occasionally practicing performances for the Pokémon Contest.

Mawile's life was very blissful.

Equally blissful was Steelix, which frequently traveled back and forth between the two regions. It was like a worker who had to take the high-speed rail out to work every day, but no matter how busy it was, it was also very happy.

Aggron's territory had been successfully cultivated into a patch of green land by it, earning it Aggron's praise.

The diligent and conscientious work attitude had brought fairly tangible results—

It learned Body Press.

Perhaps it was the result of frequently lunging and crashing to create big holes.

Although it only had one move, Steelix didn't dislike it at all and was instead very satisfied; the move Body Press in its hands had abnormally terrifying power.

Even Aggron, taking its Body Press head-on, found it very hard to withstand for a moment.

How could this not make it happy?

Occasionally All Baimu was even infected by Steelix's silly grinning, laughing as he scolded it for opening its mouth and cackling after losing — what was that supposed to mean, those gap-toothed big teeth were both ugly and funny.

Finally.

It could be called the greatest breakthrough since arriving in Greenfield Town—

Chansey.

This one had learned 【Substitute】 and 【Reflect】 from a fully charged Pokémon, and then All Baimu gave it 【Psychic】, because it had expressed wanting to try attacking opponents directly.

It should have started with Pound, the most basic move, the one that represents a beginning.

But All Baimu considered that ranged attacks would lessen the guilt—much like shooting an enemy with a gun—and since Chansey was extraordinary in psychic power, he gave it the Psychic he'd been saving up to learn.

And it was precisely thanks to that move, Psychic.

It took half a year.

Chansey took its first step toward a new future—and the most important one.