Chapter 450: Awakening the Palm

After defeating Luliana, the Psychic's fame continued to grow.

Once again surrounded by audiences and reporters, he employed the same method as before—Teleport.

But this time, before leaving to head to the Breakwater Seafood Restaurant for another meal, he was blocked by Loz, who had been waiting for him.

【Looking at Loz's smiling face, you suddenly realize that while the Breakwater Seafood Restaurant's food is delicious, actually getting to eat it isn't so easy.】

A long string of ellipses appeared above the Psychic's head, clearly expressing his exasperation.

Baimu guessed he was wondering whether Loz lived inside the Breakwater Seafood Restaurant—how else could he keep running into him every single time? It made no sense.

Loz, of course, had no idea what the Psychic was thinking; he, dressed in a sharp suit, politely invited him to lunch.

The Psychic couldn't refuse, so he silently accepted.

During the meal, Loz expressed his hope that after the match, the Psychic would step out of the arena to give interviews and interact with the audience.

In the Galar region's Gym Challenge, even someone as socially anxious as the Ghost Gym Leader Oonio gives interviews and appears on TV talk shows to discuss his past.

The Psychic's habit of avoiding reporters was something Loz refused to tolerate.

【You fell silent for several seconds, remembering how generously Loz had given you the recommendation letter, and decided to agree. Loz gratefully thanked you.】

Baimu couldn't help but marvel at how thoroughly Loz had mastered the art of humility and respect.

Aside from that, Loz also reminded the Psychic to attend the opening ceremony of the Gym Challenge in Engine City, even though he had already defeated two Gym Leaders—each year's Gym Challenge opening ceremony is held at a fixed time.

At that time, all Gym Leaders and challengers make an appearance; it's a very important ceremony—

For commercial promotion, it's understandable.

The Psychic had no objections; after all, his next Gym challenge was against the Engine Gym, so he could combine the opening ceremony with the challenge.

After finishing lunch.

The Psychic took his leave.

【You left Waterboat Town at your fastest walking pace—Loz's excessive enthusiasm left you overwhelmed; when you had nothing in common, you often felt so awkward you wanted to dig your toes into the ground.】

Above, Loz and his secretary Olive continued enjoying their meal without a care, not even turning their heads, as if it were perfectly normal.

On the other side.

The Psychic, having left Waterboat Town, began his short journey to Engine City.

Between taking the train and walking, he chose the latter, following the tradition of old-school Trainers, refusing to be one of those modern "young" Trainers who rely on trains.

But he didn't take the path from the Second Mine—he chose instead to cross the Wildlands.

【You decided to search the Wildlands for a new Psychic-type Pokémon to catch, and planned to gather three Galarian Cramorant to make the Giga Soup needed to achieve Gigantamax with Eolp.】

In the anime, Giga Soup differs from the game: even if you're not at the home of former Galar Champion Mast, as long as you have the recipe and collect three Galarian Cramorant, you can make it—Satoshi's Gengar's Giga Soup was cooked by Oonio, and the location is near Shuanchuan Town.

Clearly, Galarian Cramorant aren't exclusive to the Armor Isle in the anime.

But Galarian Cramorant aren't easy to find; the Wildlands are vast and rich, teeming with wild Pokémon, making the Psychic's search extremely difficult.

With the opening ceremony drawing near, he still hadn't found any Galarian Cramorant.

He did, however, successfully find a new Psychic-type Pokémon—

Galarian Slowpoke.

It looked nearly identical to a regular Slowpoke, but its forehead was golden and wrinkled, and it lacked the Water type, being purely Psychic-type.

In the game, it appears in large groups near Yili Plain on the Armor Isle; in the anime, its range expanded slightly, extending at least to the Wildlands.

The Psychic and his Slowking took a special interest in this Galarian Slowpoke and felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, so they caught it.

It didn't resist, willingly entering his Poké Ball.

【You caught a Galarian Slowpoke; your Psychic-type Pokémon count increased.】

Having successfully added a new member, the Psychic intended to begin his usual training, but the opening ceremony was imminent, so he headed to Engine City instead.

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The scene shifted.

The Psychic ascended a long staircase and entered a peculiar city resembling an ancient fortress.

【You arrived at Engine City—the first place to use steam engines, the earliest modernized industrial city, where machinery and mechanical structures everywhere refreshed your senses.】

To Baimu, Engine City's pixelated version looked like a remastered version of Ironclad Town.

Of course.

It was far more beautiful than the old Ironclad Town, lacking its post-apocalyptic cyberpunk vibe.

Moreover, many of its buildings appeared ancient but were merely like tourist attractions—designed solely to showcase historical traces and enhance cultural depth; most structures inside the city still relied on modern electrical technology.

The moment he entered the city, the Psychic went straight to the Engine Arena and applied for a Gym Challenge, fearing he'd miss his chance after the opening ceremony ended.

He even worried that applying now might already be too late.

But the facts proved otherwise.

The Psychic had overestimated—there weren't many challengers as eager as him; influenced by promotional efforts and ticket sales, everyone was taking their time challenging each Gym.

Due to the fame he'd accumulated from his two previous Gym Challenges, the moment he appeared, reporters preparing for the opening ceremony in the arena lobby immediately spotted him.

【You considered using Teleport to escape, but remembered Loz's instructions and chose to cooperate.】

The Psychic clearly wasn't prepared for this; lacking any rehearsed answers, he remained silent at first, mentally formulating his responses before speaking.

Surprisingly, the reporters waited patiently for him to speak.

Baimu thought it must be the patience Oonio had instilled in them—

Hmm… these two had similar personalities, which kept reminding him of that unlucky kid.

After dealing with the reporters, the Psychic followed their directions to the designated lodging for Gym Challengers.

【You arrived at the Shyish Poké Inn, where you heard all Gym Challengers stayed; you paused in the lobby, trying to spot your future rivals.】

The Psychic stood quietly in the bright lobby, glancing around with Eolp.

Eolp's ability is "Insight"—in the game, it allows the user to detect the opponent's held item, and in reality, it's a condition where heightened psychic power enhances observational ability.

In other words, Europ possesses considerable talent in discernment and observation.

The Psychic decided to use it as a foundation and thoroughly explore Europ's power, after all, Dream Eater's ability to run at full speed with one arm and crush ten past versions of himself with his chest muscles all stem from the Psychic's gift—

But that's not quite right; their muscles are the result of mutual effort and parallel progress, with neither side deliberately training to this degree—it's all a natural outcome.

However.

The Psychic did not linger long in the lobby, for he knew that if he truly wished to see his opponent, he would have his chance on the opening day.

The scene shifted to the opening day; the hotel's previously quiet lobby suddenly buzzed with activity, as numerous Trainers, each accompanied by their Pokémon, prepared themselves and moved toward the neighboring Gear Station Arena.

【You looked at those Trainers and couldn't help but be surprised—the Galar region's Gym Challengers were just as numerous as those in any other region.】

Among the crowd of Trainers, the Psychic stood out clearly, dressed in a pure white lab coat; though not a bulky muscle-bound man, he appeared notably upright.

After all the Gym Challengers changed into their competition attire, this impression became even more pronounced.

The opening ceremony's procedure was simple, centered mainly on the introduction of the eight Gym Leaders and the Gym Challengers; the Galar League actually had eighteen Gyms, but they were divided into two teams—First and Second—only the eight First Team Gym Leaders were recognized as official Gym Leaders.

This precisely explained why Shroodle Town and Battle Arena Town each had Gym Leaders of different types depending on the version.

Baimu actually believed the First Team should have ten members; Onio, Sazandora, Magua, and Miran constantly clashed in the League, their skill gaps hardly so vast.

Unfortunately, under Lode's arrangement, Sazandora represented Shroodle Arena, while Miran represented Battle Arena—clearly, Onio and Magua's performances in the previous League had been overshadowed by these two.

The Galar region's Gym Leaders' roster was truly terrifying.

The Psychic, gradually understanding the Galar League, felt the same way.

【You looked at those confident Gym Leaders and felt not glory, but the immense pressure behind that glory; you began to question your own original reason for becoming a Trainer.】

As he thought about it.

The Psychic's third Gym battle officially began.

The Gym Leader of Gear Station Arena, Kawa, was an elderly man known as the "Flame That Never Dies"; though he had once lost his official Gym Leader status and been demoted to the Second Team, he had risen again through sheer willpower and strength.

By the way, Kawa hailed from the Hoenn region.

As both sides' Pokémon entered the battlefield, the BGM played again.

But unlike the previous two battles, Baimu was now calm and accustomed to it, focusing intently on the Psychic and his Pokémon's maneuvers.

Kawa's first Pokémon was a Ninetales with the Drought ability; under the blazing sun, it became extremely fierce, putting the Psychic, who had two Water-types and one Bug-type, at a severe disadvantage.

The latter's decision, however, was swift.

He immediately sent out Drowzee, then recalled it, causing the BGM to jump from its opening notes straight to the climax as he unleashed an Extreme Water Jet, summoning a towering water column that triggered Rain Dance and inflicted massive damage on Ninetales.

Could Ninetales withstand it? Ninetales couldn't withstand it at all—even though Extreme Water Jet was used under sunlight, the surging torrent still slammed it deep into the ground.

Had it not been for its high Defense, it would have already collapsed.

Kawa, though a fierce man, was no fool; seeing the situation turn dire, he immediately recalled the barely clinging Ninetales.

Baimu knew Kawa intended to use Ninetales merely as a weather tool, but he had underestimated the Psychic and Drowzee's strength.

For his second Pokémon, facing a battlefield turned into a swamp by Extreme Water Jet, Kawa sent out the more agile Rapidash.

The goal was clear—to outlast Drowzee's three Extreme Evolutions.

Unfortunately, even with its size increased, Drowzee's fighting style changed little; how to deal with a nimble opponent?

Expand the area of damage!

The Extreme Drowzee tore off the "nut" on its head and slammed it unhesitatingly into the ground, then used Extreme Water Jet again; this unique move transformed the normally towering water column into an Extreme "Wave," its wide-area attack leaving Rapidash with nowhere to dodge.

Rain, super-effective, same-type attack—Rapidash was instantly defeated.

Encouraged by his success, the Psychic decided to press the advantage and finish off Kawa's last Pokémon, but Kawa's return to the First Team was not due to mere seniority.

His core Pokémon, Blaziken, entered the field in Ultra Max form, its body resembling a Great Wall as it unleashed its signature Ultra Max move, 【Ultra Max Blazing Wildfire】, wrapping itself like a rope around the Extreme Drowzee and scorching its skin with its internal high-temperature core.

Though Fire-type moves were weakened under rain, Ultra Max Blaziken remained ferociously powerful, enduring Drowzee's final Extreme Water Jet and sweeping it away with Ultra Max Wildfire.

The grassy terrain created by Ultra Max Wildfire gave Ultra Max Blaziken a moment to recover.

The Psychic knew he was only one final step from victory, so he sent out his most trusted Dream Eater, ordering it to endure Ultra Max Blaziken's Ultra Max Bug Boost and then put it to sleep with Hypnosis.

Kawa, seeing Blaziken fall asleep, was not alarmed; Ultra Max Bug Boost lowered the opponent's Special Attack, and Dream Eater's Special Attack output was negligible—it knew no Water- or Rock-type moves, at best skilled in close-range moves—what was there to fear? —

Oh my god!

Kawa never expected Dream Eater to use Slap Awakening!

The most painful thing in the world is being violently woken from deep sleep by two massive slaps, while the attacker shouts, "Sleeping? Get up and party!"

Baimu wanted to applaud the Psychic.

Blaziken also felt immense pain; already uncomfortable from the rain, now it was being slapped.

That's too much!

Kawa's eyelids twitched violently; he immediately recalled the enraged Blaziken and sent out Ninetales to restore the weather, fearing the latter might fall into the Psychic's trap.

But he hadn't realized the one who'd been tricked was himself—the Psychic had deliberately forced Kawa to switch Pokémon, and he immediately swapped in Staraptor, both sides launching Water Pulse and Solar Beam at each other; the battered Ninetales, weaker than a chicken, was swiftly defeated.

Staraptor then used Rain Dance to restore the weather, preparing to face Blaziken in its weakened state.

The outcome, needless to say, was predictable—Kawa could not turn the tide with a Fire-type Pokémon under rain, especially against an opponent nearly at full health.

【You defeated Gym Leader Kawa of Gear Station Arena and received the Gear Station Badge.】