Chapter 75: The Island of the Slowpoke

The White Sea Lion had officially left the Hoenn waters, beginning its days adrift upon the boundless ocean. After hearing the captain’s words, Hu Yang had expected the outer seas to be rife with pirates and peril. Yet three days passed, and not only were there no pirates—he hadn’t even encountered a single storm.

Life at sea was leisurely and relaxed. By day, he basked in the sun on the deck with his Pokémon. By night, he watched the stars with his companions. When the sky was clear, the night above the ocean was pure and translucent, a deep blue dome speckled with stars, quietly watching over the earth and sea below. Such a view was breathtaking.

Those who spent their lives in cities could never truly appreciate this beauty of nature. The sea, the sky, the depths of night, snowy mountains, deserts, the ship’s gathering lights, and the eternal starry sky—perhaps this was why so many people yearned to journey with Pokémon. To pass through lush forests, reach majestic, silent peaks, fly over scorching, desolate deserts atop their Pokémon, and at the break of dawn, ascend to peaks unknown to any.

At that moment, Hu Yang couldn’t help but lift his camera and capture the scene. He emptied his mind, lost in thought, and when he returned to himself, the Pokémon beside him had all curled up and fallen asleep together. Only Gengar remained, gazing absentmindedly at the night sky.

“Gengar, time to sleep,” Hu Yang whispered softly.

Gengar stood, rubbing its eyes, and replied in a quiet voice, “Oh, oh.”

Hu Yang’s movement woke up Axew, who immediately opened his eyes. When he saw who it was, his tense little body relaxed.

“Axew~” He almost forgot—he wasn’t in the wild anymore.

“Go back to sleep,” Hu Yang said gently, giving Axew’s belly a light squeeze. Axew spread his little paws, wanting to be held.

Hu Yang first returned the other sleeping Pokémon to their Poké Balls, then picked up Axew and placed him on his shoulder. According to the Pokédex, a standard Axew weighs 18 kilograms. After careful raising, his Axew had reached 20 kilograms. Strangely, despite holding a forty-kilogram little dragon, Hu Yang didn’t feel tired at all.

Looking at Axew resting his chin on his shoulder, Hu Yang thought to himself:

He could still carry this little one now, but once he evolved into Fraxure and then Haxorus, carrying him would be impossible. By then, it would be Haxorus carrying him instead. He wondered when Axew, this little son of his, would grow strong enough to become the solid support his “old father” could rely on. Still, as long as they kept moving forward, that day would surely come.

…

The next morning, as Hu Yang was having breakfast, the captain of the White Sea Lion approached him.

“Honored Trainer, there’s a small island ahead. The sailors on scouting duty report that it’s inhabited by a large number of Slowpoke. Would you like to take a break there?”

Long voyages could be taxing for some, leading to foul moods or mental fatigue. For the guests’ well-being, they occasionally stopped on uninhabited islands along the way, giving everyone a chance to relax on solid ground.

“Slowpoke Island?” Hu Yang wasn’t feeling weary, but the name of the island intrigued him.

The captain explained, “Yes, islands inhabited by large numbers of the same Pokémon are rare. We usually name them after the Pokémon living there.”

This Hu Yang knew—he remembered how Ash and his friends in the anime had visited an island of Blastoise, where a Blastoise lived alongside many Wartortle and Squirtle. There was also Meowth Island in the Orange Archipelago, where the locals revered Meowth and even dressed like them.

Since arriving in this world, Hu Yang had yet to see a living Slowpoke, so he agreed to the suggestion.

Thus, the White Sea Lion anchored beside a treeless little island, made up only of sand and reefs. Stepping ashore, Hu Yang gazed out to see the rocks along the shore crowded with Slowpoke, sprawled in every direction.

In reality, Slowpoke were rather cute. Their bodies were pink, their ears curled, and their big round eyes were set with tiny pupils, giving them a vacant look. Their creamy mouths rested on their front paws, with two visible teeth on the upper jaw, short limbs, and a long pink tail.

It was said that Slowpoke tails were a delicacy. In the manga, Team Rocket’s grunts had cut off a group of Slowpoke tails at Slowpoke Well in Azalea Town to sell them for profit. Dried Slowpoke tail, boiled in salted water, was also a common dish in Alola.

However, Slowpoke didn’t seem to mind—even if their long tails were pulled off, it hardly hurt, and their tails would soon grow back.

Hu Yang walked up to a Slowpoke, which didn’t react at all to his presence. It merely stared vacantly at the water, looking quite content. That gaze reminded him of Oricorio.

He poked the Slowpoke; its body felt soft. He gently tugged its ear, but it didn’t move. Seeing how unresponsive the Slowpoke was, Hu Yang grew bolder.

Gengar, watching this odd scene, couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing?”

Hu Yang hesitated. “If I try to catch one, do you think it would resist?” Worried that Gengar might think him odd, he quickly changed the subject.

Gengar answered honestly, “I’ve never seen this kind of Pokémon, but judging by how they are now, probably not.”

Hu Yang realized that was probably true. Even if he caught a Slowpoke, it might not even understand his commands, let alone fight. So he decided to let them continue living freely on this little island.

He gave up on capturing one. Instead, he set his camera to automatic, gathered several Slowpoke around him and arranged them so that they surrounded him. Then he released Roserade, Axew, Oricorio, and Magikarp, and took a group photo among the Slowpoke.

Only after the photo was taken did the Slowpoke slowly react, ignoring Hu Yang completely as they crawled back to their original spots.

Hu Yang could only sigh—truly the most absent-minded of Pokémon.

Slowpoke Island was just that small. Hu Yang couldn’t stand there daydreaming forever; he still had things to do. After a short stay, he returned to the ship.

The White Sea Lion set sail again.

Sitting on the deck, Hu Yang gazed at the sky and, on the back of the Slowpoke Island photograph, wrote:

“Hu Yang and his Pokémon, at Slowpoke Island, League Year 209, May 27.”