Chapter 144: The Finishing Touch and Slateport City (Two-in-One)

Zapdos was exceptionally strong; it neither lacked practical experience nor needed to diligently practice moves like Axew did.

The only things Zapdos lacked were appropriate move combinations and a complete tactical framework.

Zapdos currently...

Huyang glanced at the moves it had mastered: Thunderbolt, Discharge, Thunder...

Aside from Ancient Power, every other offensive move in its arsenal was of the Electric type.

As a legendary Pokémon, Zapdos possessed a remarkably high Special Attack base stat of 125 alongside a Speed of 100. Its other traits were quite ordinary.

This meant Zapdos was better suited for a "speedy-offense" route.

By capitalizing on its high mobility, it could deal massive Special Attack damage using Thunderbolt.

Yet, this alone was far from sufficient.

After a brief moment of thought, Huyang decided to equip it with three specific moves first: Roost, Heat Wave, and U-turn.

Roost would restore its health and enhance Zapdos's staying power in battle, while Heat Wave would deal heavy Fire-type damage, covering the Electric type's blind spots against type matchups.

As for U-turn, it would allow Zapdos to use its high speed to retreat and swap in a more suitable Pokémon whenever it encountered a counter-type opponent.

As for other moves, Huyang planned to add them as opportunities arose.

He could go with the ubiquitous Substitute, Protect, and Toxic strategy, or perhaps something a bit more unconventional.

For instance, the Ground-type move Drill Run, which would make Zapdos spin its body at high speed while unleashing powerful currents, transforming it into a Pokémon version of an "electric drill" to deliver a devastating blow to opponents.

While pondering, Huyang browsed through the list of modifiable moves available for Zapdos.

At that moment, the interface lingered on the Flying-type section.

Right at the bottom row, a certain move with a staggering power of 120 was brightly illuminated.

[Dragon Ascent: A Flying-type move. Plunges rapidly from the sky to attack the target, lowering the user's Defense and Special Defense. Modifiable.]

"..."

Brother Rayquaza, I am sorry! Your Dragon Ascent belongs to my Zapdos from now on!

Huyang immediately added Dragon Ascent to Zapdos's candidate move pool.

Although Dragon Ascent dealt physical damage, with Zapdos's sturdy beak and feathers crackling with immense electrical current, it could very well unleash the full potential of the move.

If Ash could run a physical-attack Gengar, he could certainly run a physical-attack Zapdos.

So, go forth, the invincible Dragon Dance!

Without hesitation, Huyang added Dragon Dance to Zapdos's candidate move roster.

Traveling from Petalburg City to Slateport City required crossing a vast expanse of clustered mountains and plains. Taking a ferry would take a full day.

Yet, at Zapdos's speed, it took less than three hours to arrive at Slateport City, often hailed as the "haven of exchange between humans, Pokémon, and nature."

Dismounting the bird, Huyang stroked Zapdos's head, recalled it into its Poké Ball, and then began searching Slateport City for an accessory shop capable of crafting a Key Stone.

Slateport City was sprawling. Near the harbor, Huyang spotted a well-known location from the games: the Slateport Market.

The real-life Slateport Market mirrored its digital counterpart—an open-air plaza dedicated to selling various trinkets, featuring neatly arranged rows of small stalls.

A dazzling array of items filled the stalls, and a sign at the market entrance bore the words: "If you want to find things hard to get elsewhere, come take a look at the Slateport Market!"

Recalling the kinds of goods sold here in the game, Huyang walked inside with a curious mindset.

As he walked, his gaze swept across the various stalls.

There was a stall selling handmade Pokémon plushies, brimming with crafted dolls of Skitty, Azurill, and the like.

Another stall sold rare Berries; the vendor was a traveling Trainer, and those Berries had been foraged directly from the wild.

Spotting several rare Berries that the Department Store did not carry, Huyang waved his hand generously and bought every single Berry on the stall.

Further down was a small stall selling handcrafted Pokéblocks.

Gazing at the colorful cubes on display, Huyang instinctively thought of the massive bag of them that Slowking had prepared for him.

Aside from the ones for Charmander, Gengar, and the others, Slowking had made him a giant pouch of rainbow Pokéblocks, supposedly meant to be kept as snacks.

Huyang felt rather extravagant.

Compared to the ones Slowking made, the quality of the Pokéblocks sold at this stall was vastly inferior.

Consequently, after merely glancing at them, Huyang lost interest and moved on to the next stall.

That was a stall selling incense.

Huyang’s gaze swept over the sealed incense burners, and the information instantly materialized in his mind.

[Sea Incense: An incense infused with a wondrous aroma. Pokémon bathed in this fragrance will deal increased damage with Water-type moves until the scent fades.]

[Full Incense: An incense infused with a wondrous aroma. Pokémon carrying it will move more sluggishly than usual due to a sense of fullness.]

[Lax Incense: Pokémon bathed in this fragrance will befuddle opponents with the wondrous aroma until the scent fades, making opposing moves less likely to hit.]

Aside from these, there were also the Odd Incense which boosted Psychic-type move power, the Rose Incense which enhanced Grass-type moves, and so on.

These were...

The incense held items from the games!

Though he had no idea why their real-world effects had manifested this way, the utility of these incenses was quite practical.

Huyang instructed the vendor to pack up all the incense.

Before future battles, he would simply have his Pokémon bathe in the smoke to stack some buffs before heading into a fight.

Well, the effect of this incense felt somewhat similar to Felyne Meals from Monster Hunter.

As for why not have them hold it...

Huyang made a quick visual comparison: a single incense container was larger than Charmander's head. Unless tied with a red string around its neck—which would severely hinder combat—it was impractical.

Gengar floated beside Huyang, snacking on a Pokéblock while using its claws to stuff items into its own internal pocket dimension, a happy expression on its face.

Huyang: "..."

Why are you so practiced at this, hey?!

At that moment, Gengar noticed his gaze and asked in puzzlement, "Why are you looking at me... *hic*... what are you doing?"

"How come I feel like you've gotten a little chubby?" Huyang inspected Gengar closely.

Hearing this, Gengar's face flushed, and it denied, "You must be seeing things."

Huyang: "..."

Fine, there was no denying the weight gain now.

The Slateport Market wasn't large. Apart from the items he bought, Huyang found the rest of the trinkets unappealing.

After browsing for a little while, he spotted an elderly woman leaning on a cane who looked as though she had lived there for a long time. Through her, he learned the directions to a shop in Slateport City that crafted accessories.

Huyang offered his thanks, then led Gengar through the crowds toward that destination.

Floating invisibly behind him, Gengar thought about Huyang's remark regarding its weight, glanced down at its own body, and looked at the delicious Pokéblocks with a conflicted expression.

Picking up its pace, Gengar caught up to Huyang, walked side-by-side with him, and asked anxiously, "If I get fat, will you stop liking me?"

Lately, it had witnessed firsthand how Huyang showered affection on Charmander and Ralts, hugging and cuddling them—it was obvious he adored them.

Hearing this, Huyang looked surprised. "Why would you think that?"

Gengar voiced its underlying worry: "Because you haven't been playing with me much lately."

Huyang: "..."

He understood now.

Once a Trainer caught a large enough number of Pokémon, it was easy to overlook the emotional needs of certain individuals.

It felt rather like parents with three or four children, who invariably poured their energy and attention into the youngest, thereby neglecting the feelings of the eldest.

In such moments, even humans felt a sense of loss and sorrow, let alone Pokémon.

The sensible Roserade had never complained, the evolved Axew's personality meant it wouldn't actively express itself, yet Gengar had silently taken note of everything.

Huyang reflected inwardly for a moment and apologized contritely, "I'm sorry."

Gengar asked worriedly, "Is it because I got fat that you don't want to play with me?"

Huyang shook his head. "No, I was just worried that excess weight might harm your health. For humans like us, getting too heavy can lead to many health issues."

He had originally intended to research whether obesity adversely affected Pokémon before bringing it up with Gengar.

"As for not playing with you much, that's entirely on me. I'm sorry for not paying closer attention. I'll make sure to play with all of you a lot more from now on," Huyang promised.

Gengar looked at him, pondered for a moment, and suddenly asked, "Will I die?"

Huyang froze, then read the meaning in Gengar's expression.

It was asking if getting fat would kill it.

Huyang shook his head and replied, "I'm not entirely sure, but if you get too heavy, perhaps that possibility exists."

Hearing that there was such a possibility, Gengar immediately put away the Pokéblock in its hand.

It knew what death meant.

If it died, it would never be able to see Huyang again.

It didn't want to leave Huyang.

As for the matter of him not playing with it...

Gengar waved a dismissive hand magnanimously and said, "I forgive you!"

Pausing, it added a worried admonition, "You aren't allowed to get fat either."

Huyang chuckled wryly. "Don't worry, I'll always be with you."

With that, Gengar contentedly returned to its Poké Ball.

Huyang stared blankly at the Poké Ball in his hand for a few seconds, then slid it into the specialized pouch on his belt.

Following the elderly woman's directions, Huyang soon arrived in front of an accessory shop.

He pushed open the door, and a well-dressed young woman immediately stepped forward to greet him. "Welcome to Chic Accessories, how may I help you?"

"I'd like to have a stone crafted," Huyang said, retrieving the Key Stone fragment from his backpack.

The young woman examined it for a few moments, murmured "Please wait a moment," and turned to head into the back room.

Shortly after, a mature woman dressed in sophisticated urban attire walked out.

She glanced at the stone in Huyang's hand, led him over to a reception sofa, and sat down.

The previous attendant brought over a cup of tea and placed it before Huyang.

Only then did the woman ask, "What style would you like this crafted into?"

"A wristband," Huyang answered.

Recalling the size of the Key Stones in the anime, he made a measuring gesture with his hand. "About this big will do."

A rough mental image formed in the woman's mind. She nodded, pulled out a stack of product design sketches from beneath the table, and said, "We have some sample designs here for your reference."

At that, Huyang shifted his gaze to the pages.

Aside from wristbands, there were also designs for rings, hair clips, and earrings.

Huyang didn't have any elaborate preferences for a wristband; the simpler, the better. As an aging man approaching forty, he couldn't pull off anything overly flashy.

Consequently, he pointed to a standard blue-and-white wristband design and confirmed, "Let's go with this one!"

The female store owner replied, "Very well. However, the gemstone you provided is quite large. Based on the dimensions you requested, it should be large enough to craft five additional wristbands."

After trimming away the scraps, that totaled six pieces altogether—roughly what he had anticipated.

Huyang nodded. "Right, the other five can also—"

Halfway through his sentence, an idea suddenly popped into his head.

He changed his tune. "Can I design the styles for the other five myself?"

The shop owner was momentarily stunned, then nodded with a smile. "Of course."

She stood up, retrieved paper and a pen from nearby, and asked, "Can you draw?"

Huyang shook his head. He couldn't draw, but he knew a little bit of guitar, having learned it for a while to pass the time with his roommate back in college.

Understanding his situation, the store owner said, "Just tell me your requirements, and I'll sketch them out."

For the next hour or so, drawing on memories from his past life, Huyang described the appearance of transformation belts and magical wands.

With her exceptional skill, the store owner virtually replicated them one-to-one on paper.

"Please take a look. Is this what you had in mind?" she asked after finishing the sketch.

Huyang gave an affirmative hum and nodded with satisfaction.

He didn't have any use for them personally, but he could give them to others!

Decided. He would sell the transformation belt or the magical wand to Steven Stone later and let him die of embarrassment.

With the designs finalized, the shop owner informed him that it would take about a week to complete the work.

This timeframe didn't surprise Huyang.

He nodded and said, "That works."

He could use this interval to make a trip to the desert region, locate the mysterious Mirage Tower, and fulfill the Fossil Maniac's commission.

After paying the deposit, Huyang turned and left Slateport City.

He released Zapdos onto the main street and, amid the astonished and envious gazes of a group of Trainers, ascended into the sky.

Practice makes perfect; this time up in the air, Huyang felt nowhere near as terrified as he had on his first flight.

Seated upon Zapdos, he mapped out his subsequent plans.

Retrieve the fossil from the Mirage Tower, return to collect the Key Stone wristband, and perhaps detour to challenge the Mauville Gym in Mauville City along the way.

Then, pass through Verdanturf Town to Meteor Falls and hand the fossil over to the Fossil Maniac.

Once all these tasks were accomplished, the New Year would be fast approaching.

On his return journey, he could even pick up Gardevoir and bring her back to the ecological park.

When spring arrived next year, he would set out again to challenge gyms, collect badges, and enter the Ever Grande Conference.

Ah, perfect!