Chapter 14: Only kids make choices
Pokémon with the Huge Power Ability is an essential companion for traveling.
Jumpluff pointed to a path that was extremely difficult to traverse, or rather, there was no path at all. Roy found himself battling against bushes, leaves hanging down to obscure his view, and roots crisscrossing the ground.
And it wasn't over yet. Two giant dead trees lay intertwined on the ground, forming a natural barrier over a meter high. Just as Roy was contemplating whether to go around or climb the moss-covered dead wood, Ralts bounced over to the dead trees.
To Roy's amazement, the tiny Azurill somehow managed to drag the tree below it out of the way, causing the other dead tree on top to roll back.
Roy was stunned by this visually impactful scene. Holding Azuril in his arms, he looked left and right, then down at the dead trees on the ground, and suddenly felt that if Azurill wanted to, it could probably lift him up too.
After climbing over the dead wood, Roy ran into a swarm of wild Zubats. These nocturnal Pokémon swooped over Roy's head like a gust of wind, their wing beats echoing through the quiet forest, taking quite some time to settle down.
The path remained difficult, but Roy encountered a significantly larger number of wild Pokémon. In less than half an hour, he had already used his Pokédex seven or eight times.
It wasn't that Roy couldn't recognize these Pokémon. Strictly speaking, it was a kind of collecting obsession, or perhaps a compulsion. At the end of the day, Gotta Catch 'Em All, it's one of the most universal goal for all Pokémon players. Plus, according to the professor, the Pokédex needed to record data on every wild Pokémon encountered by its owner, so this was also a side task for Roy.
"Scizor, the Scissors Pokémon, the evolved form of Scyther. It brandishes its large, eye-like pincers to intimidate foes. Just one swing of its pincers can be like a powerful weapon."
Roy's Pokédex was aimed at the Scizor perched on the branch in front of him. The Scizor's two pincers hung low, showing no signs of hostility. After that, it seemed to understand the voice from the Pokédex, and it proudly gestured with its powerful pincers.
Roy gave a slight bow, saying some "humble" words of respect, and quickly passed through the territory of the Scizor.
With its Bug and Steel typing, along with its impressive appearance, Scizor indeed suited Roy's tastes. However, Roy's heart was still with those few Pokémon that had been abandoned earlier.
The trees gradually became sparse, and after pushing aside a drooping branch, Roy suddenly found himself in a clear space.
Outside the forest was a gently sloping hillside, bathed in the radiant moonlight, with several Pokémon lowering their heads to drink from the stream.
On a corner of the riverbank across from him, a group of Pokémon, led by the Houndoom and the Mismagius, were resting around a lit campfire.
In addition to the Houndoom and the Mismagius, Roy, with his good vision, also saw the Poliwhirl, the Manectric, and the Doduo.
It was clear that this group was led by the Houndoom, with the Mismagius and Manectric on the outer circle. The weaker Pokémon gathered closest to the campfire in the inner circle for rest, while the Houndoom patrolled the outer perimeter, occasionally nudging the Pokémon with poor sleeping postures.
The Houndoom seemed to be watching the Pokémon drinking by the stream with vigilance. It seemed that cliques existed among the Pokémon as well, and the Houndoom had a certain level of distrust towards the wild Pokémon.
The greatest sorrow for once-tamed Pokémon often lay in their lack of survival skills in the wild. For Pokémon that were raised mainly as pets rather than for battle, their prospects for survival in the wild were definitely not optimistic.
From the encounters with the Houndoom and the Mismagius earlier, it was clear that both the Houndoom and the three Mismagius had been carefully raised before being abandoned. The trainers who raised them undoubtedly had battling as their goal.
However, Pokémon like the Misdreavus and the Nidoran seemed more like a group of pets.
It was evident that the distrust of humans by the Houndoom and the Mismagius was gradually deepening as the team grew larger. The more stories they heard, the stronger their aversion to human hearts became.
Suddenly, Roy felt an impulse in his heart—to capture any one of them and then take them to the stage of the League Conference.
Their owners might not have had faith in them, but Roy did not see it that way. Whether it was those Mismagius, the Houndoom, or even the Misdreavus that had played tricks on him, they were all treasures in Roy's eyes.
If their owners had truly abandoned them due to their perceived lack of strength, then how about letting their brilliance shine in his hands?
Roy was contemplating how to approach the Houndoom again and express his thoughts, while Jumpluff was staring blankly at the black shadow in front of her and accidentally bumped into Roy, who was lost in thought.
Roy fell to the ground in pain, about to ask Jumpluff why she bumped into him, but when he looked up, he saw a pair of sharp eyes staring back at him.
"Oh no," Roy thought to himself. The Houndoom had somehow run from the riverbank on the other side of the hill to the exit of the small grove where Roy was.
It was clear that the Houndoom was quite displeased now, showing its teeth and growling. It was not happy with Roy's sneaky behavior, following and spying on them.
Roy remained calm. After all, he had intended to talk to the Houndoom anyway, and now that the Houndoom had come to him, it made things much easier.
"I want to catch you," Roy said.
The Houndoom was taken aback. Roy could guess what the Houndoom was thinking—either that he was a fool, or that this sudden declaration was insane.
As expected, after a moment of realization, the Houndoom's expression became more fierce. It felt like Roy was mocking it, and the growling from its throat indicated that the Houndoom was about to attack.
"I'm not joking. If you can calm down, I'm willing to explain further," Roy coaxed gently.
Jumpluff also helped to explain something on the side. After a while, the tense Houndoom seemed to relax a bit, but its eyes remained cold.
"Alright, I'll assume you're willing to listen to me now. Houndoom, you and your group are abandoned Pokémon, right?" Roy asked, a question that seemed to pierce like a knife.
This sentence, like opening an old wound, made the Houndoom clench its teeth again, unable to resist the urge to lunge at Roy.
"You have formed this group of abandoned Pokémon in the wild, aiming to protect those without combat abilities, and to band together with other stronger Pokémon for warmth. You have become their leader, stopping them from attacking humans and protecting the weaker Pokémon. I really admire this quality, so I want to capture you."
"You have been abandoned by other trainers before and probably have no good feelings towards trainers. But I can prove I'm different."
Roy took out his Pokédex and waved it in front of the Houndoom, then pointed to Jumpluff. "Were you trying to persuade the capable Jumpluff to leave my team and join yours earlier? She comes from a research institute, so let her tell you what kind of person a trainer with a Pokédex is."
Jumpluff whispered softly to the Houndoom, although Roy couldn't understand her words. But he could read a lot from the Houndoom's increasingly hesitant expression.
When Jumpluff fell silent, Roy added, "This is your chance to prove yourselves. Although I don't know why your trainers abandoned you, if they want to prove themselves, their target would surely be the League competitions. Fortunately, I plan to participate in next year's Lily of the Valley Conference."
"You might face your abandoned trainers at the Lily of the Valley Conference next year, or perhaps they will see you on TV or online after losing. Think about it, isn't it exhilarating? The Pokémon they didn't want, becoming the mainstay of the conference competitions in someone else's hands. They abandoned you, but in someone else's hands, you prove how foolish their choices were."
The Houndoom suddenly raised its head, and Roy responded with a confident smile.
Deep inside, Roy felt a burning anger. The Pokémon put in a lot of effort, however as a repayment of their sincerity the trainers had callously abandoned them in the end.
Roy thought simply—if he participated in the conference, he would teach them a lesson!
The Houndoom looked towards the distant campfire, where the Mismagius had replaced it and was patrolling around, vigilant. Then it looked back at Roy, hesitated for a moment, and finally shook its head.
Roy quickly understood the Houndoom's meaning.
"You're worried about these abandoned little guys? And you think becoming an excellent trainer for the conference isn't that easy?" Roy asked, to which the Houndoom nodded.
Roy quickly understood the situation. If he took away the leader of this group, Houndoom, the abandoned Pokémon team would likely fall apart because of it. Moreover, even though having a Pokédex owner's endorsement was good, there weren't many Pokédex owners who ranked highly in each tournament.
After some thought, Roy found a solution.
"There's another option. I can allow you all to settle within the research area of Professor Rowan's lab. You won't have to worry about living in fear. Whether or not you want to follow me will be entirely up to you."
Professor Rowan's research lab was spacious, yet the number of Pokémon there was far fewer compared to Professor Oak's lab, which focused heavily on evolution. For Professor Rowan, this was a significant drawback. If these Pokémon were willing to transfer to Professor Rowan's lab, then he had no reason not to welcome them.
Roy admitted that all these actions were purely impulsive. He simply sympathized with the plight of these Pokémon.
Houndoom was stunned. Mismagius was also stunned.
Roy, however, remained serious.
"Only kids make choices. I'll take them all!"
Houndoom barked a few times at Mismagius, and Roy wasn't sure what they were communicating about. Then Mismagius shook her head helplessly.
Seeing Houndoom's hesitation, Roy understood. This overly bold declaration seemed to surpass Houndoom's thought process. Houndoom started spinning in circles on the spot.
Roy sat down comfortably, absentmindedly petting Ralts, who had been zoning out the whole time. He believed that Houndoom would agree. While they were wary of humans, the credibility of a Pokédex owner and the temptation of a safe, worry-free home were too great for them to resist.
Houndoom's spinning finally came to an end. He sighed deeply and quickly returned to the campsite. Letting out a loud howl, the sleeping Pokémon were awakened by Houndoom's noise, looking at him in confusion.
Roy saw Houndoom pacing back and forth in the center of the camp, continuously saying something.
Mismagius, adorned with jewel ribbons, reacted strongly. She argued fiercely with Houndoom. Other Pokémon couldn't help but gather around, leaving the space in the middle for Mismagius and Houndoom.
Houndoom's voice grew quieter and quieter, as if he also sensed Mismagius' agitation, trying his best not to provoke her tense nerves.
However, Mismagius, growing increasingly emotional, finally let out a sharp cry. When the wild Pokémon drinking water near the creek looked curiously at Mismagius, she couldn't contain her rage any longer and launched an attack.
Confuse Ray plowed toward Houndoom. Houndoom agilely dodged Mismagius' attacks, constantly attempting to communicate with her.
However, Mismagius responded to Houndoom's attempts with great violence. The attacks from Shadow Ball were swift, instantly hitting Houndoom's side.
Feeling the pain, Houndoom finally understood that using words to persuade was far slower than using fists. He fiercely spewed flames toward Mismagius.
Mismagius was incredibly fast; Roy could barely see a blur from a distance, then Mismagius' figure appeared behind Houndoom.
Houndoom's gaze followed Mismagius' movements. A wave of Dark Pulse struck towards Mismagius mercilessly. Mismagius instantly disappeared from Roy's view, then reappeared directly above Houndoom. Faint glimmers shimmered around Mismagius, and the next moment, a thunderbolt as thick as an arm struck Houndoom directly.
Before Houndoom could get up from the pain, Mismagius' attack struck him again with Giga Impact.
Roy slid down the slope, realizing he needed to quickly stop Mismagius.
Although Roy didn't know why Houndoom' persuasion towards Mismagius turned into this, it was undeniable that Mismagius had lost her sanity.
The abandoned Pokémon were the first to act, seizing the moment between Mismagius' attacks. Other Misdreavus and Mismagius rushed in, trying to block Ribboned Mismagius's assault. However, they barely held on for a few seconds before enraged Mismagius, recovered from her madness, sent them flying with even stronger waves of Dark Pulse.
Mismagius' frenzied actions finally filled the wild Pokémon with righteous indignation. As Roy arrived at the creek, Swampert, Lopunny, Pachirisu, and Noctowl joined the fray.
Water Gun, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Confusion were unleashed together, immobilizing Mismagius.
Just as Roy was about to command Jumpluff to release Stun Spore to control Mismagius, something jaw-dropping happened.
A strange light appeared around Mismagius, who had absorbed four different attacks. The four effects, still actively affecting Mismagius, seemed to be forcibly twisted and dispersed by an invisible force.
This was Psychic? Psychic could be manipulated like this?
The powerful force radiated outwards, causing Roy, holding Azurill, Ralts, and Jumpluff, to quickly fall to the ground.
The four wild Pokémon who had helped hadn't yet retaliated. Under the dark night sky, ripples spread out from Mismagius, causing the Pokémon within its range to feel a strong drowsiness, uncontrollably collapsing one by one.
Houndoom had just managed to stand up, only to lose consciousness in the moment of the ripples.
The entire creek side was filled with nothing but the faint snoring of the Pokémon. Thanks to Roy's protection, the three Pokémon weren't hypnotized by Mismagius. However, when Roy stood up, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Mismagius was less than a meter away from him, floating quietly in the air, her eyes seemingly ablaze.
What kind of Mismagius was this? How could she be so powerful that someone would abandon her?
This was no joke. Even with the wild Pokémon's low combat power, it was impossible for her to so easily absorb all attacks and then put everyone in sight to sleep.
Feeling the immense hostility from Mismagius, Ralts, not backing down, stood in front of Roy, and Psybeam suddenly launched. Azurill soon followed and a Water Gun shot towards Mismagius.
Jumpluff, with her battle experience, quietly maneuvered behind Mismagius as the two young ones unleashed their skills, waiting for the right moment to launch Stun Spore.
Mismagius let out another piercing cry as the Stun Spore took effect, sending ripples of Psychic spreading outwards.
The Psychic tore through the net of attacks formed by Water Gun and Psybeam, directly blowing away the incoming Stun Spore. The dispersed energy even sent Roy flying.
The excruciating pain of landing on his spine made Roy writhe on the ground, unable to hold back his hissing groans for quite some time before finally managing to roll over and get up, his mouth letting out a low, pained growl.
Jumpluff, Azurill, and Ralts continued their efforts.
Their attacks seemed to have almost no effect, as Mismagius was far too powerful. Roy was certain that this Mismagius could not have been abandoned by trainers intentionally.
No one would discard such a powerful Pokémon. Trainers who pursued both their own strength and that of their Pokémon would never do such a thing. It was unimaginable!
The intense pain made Roy break out in a cold sweat, his vision blurring. The sounds he heard were accompanied by a buzzing in his ears, but he could still make out the violent collision between his Pokémon and Mismagius once again.
Azurill acted without Roy's command, unexpectedly using Ice Beam. Ralts, who had not been trained in any other moves, continued to persist with Psybeam.
Roy couldn't hear the sound of Jumpluff's attacks, but he seemed to hear the muffled thuds of her taking on the skills for the other two Pokémon.
The difference in strength was just too great. When Roy's vision cleared a bit, the three Pokémon had been sent flying by Mismagius' Dark Pulse right in front of him.
Roy quickly crouched down, grabbing hold of them to shield them from the impact.
Mismagius breathed lightly, seeming somewhat weary from the continuous use of her skills in battle. However, for Roy, what did this weariness matter.
He just couldn't win.
Roy glanced at the still enraged Mismagius, feeling like he was doomed. In this situation, he would only become another cold number in the case of Pokémon attacks leading to human casualties.
Sure enough, Mismagius abandoned the three Pokémon, launching another Dark Pulse directly at Roy.
Roy raised his hand, trying to shield his vulnerable head, but a shadow infinitely enlarged, blocking his vision.
Jumpluff fiercely retaliated against Mismagius with Seed Bomb. However, injured as she was, she couldn't match the monstrous power of Mismagius. The explosion's shockwave once again blasted Roy and Jumpluff away.
He had to save himself!
Jumpluff had lost consciousness, and Roy's brain, deprived of oxygen, had become sluggish. But he still struggled to think of a way to escape this predicament.
Ah, he still had the Pokédex!
Back when he set out, Professor Rowan had told Roy about an emergency button on the Pokédex. If pressed, it would send a rescue signal to the nearest Pokémon Center and other Pokédex holders within half an hour, without deviation.
"Ralts, Azurill, hold Mismagius back!"
With labored breaths, Ralts and Azurill's eyes hardened as they once again launched their attacks, dragging their heavy bodies.
Roy fumbled on the Pokédex for a while before finally finding the green emergency button, then pressed it with all his might.
If Professor Rowan hadn't tricked him, pressing this button should signal for rescue. According to the distance, it shouldn't take long for the rescue team to arrive from the entrance of the forest to here, especially with flying-type Pokémon.
Now all Roy had to do is buy time! Hold off this extremely bizarre Mismagius.
Once again, Confusion and Ice Beam were shattered by Mismagius' Psychic. The Mismagius' body momentarily stiffened, and its breaths gradually grew rapid.
"Azurill, Ralts, quickly get out of the way!"
That rigid posture of charging energy, it could only mean one thing – it was about to unleash Shadow Ball!
The two Pokémon, following Roy's command, dashed towards Mismagius' feet. This tricky position made it difficult for Mismagius to comfortably strike, so it was forced to try and aim the Shadow Ball at Roy instead.
Roy had long since concealed himself behind a huge boulder. Losing its target, Mismagius, in a mix of anger and despair, fired the Shadow Ball into the sky.
At the same time, Azurill's Ice Beam and Ralts' Confusion finally hit Mismagius at an extremely close range.
Amidst Mismagius' intense wheezing, Roy felt like his lungs were going to burst.
Mismagius was no longer at ease, her breathing becoming heavier and more rapid with each passing moment. Her expression grew increasingly pained, and uncontrollable roars began to erupt from her mouth.
Ralts and Azurill were nearing their breaking point, enduring the pain as they confronted the frenzied Mismagius.
Mismagius' body began to violently shake, and before Roy could fully comprehend what was happening, Mismagius collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.
To vent its pain, Mismagius began to wildly attack the ground, unleashing Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Shadow Claw, Psychic, and Psybeam.
As Mismagius staggered to its feet, the force of its attacks seemed to aimlessly crash towards a jagged, angular rock.
"Stop her, Ralts, use your Psychic! Azurill, please, unleash your Huge Power!" Roy's mind was now in turmoil. This was no ordinary Mismagius. Her mastery of skills, proficiency, combat prowess, her terrifying power, and her near-crazed behavior all hinted at something sinister.
Roy couldn't stand by and watch a Pokémon harm itself like this. Despite her recent frenzy of attacks towards him, Roy now saw the truth: this Mismagius was undoubtedly troubled.
Ralts' Psychic briefly restrained the rampaging Mismagius, while Azurill, with her injuries, struggled towards the jagged, spiked boulder, attempting to move it aside.
However, she couldn't do it. The boulder's weight far exceeded her current strength. With all her might, she could only manage to push the boulder a little.
Ralts' Psychic was shattered by the relentless onslaught, and the crazed Mismagius lunged towards the sharp edges of the boulder.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone