Chapter 686: Shift in Mindset, Poliwhirl

As Cain watched Poliwag's body begin to shine with a white light, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Finally, it was about to evolve.

All the battles they had been fighting were meant to give Poliwag and the others that final push in their levels.

Now that Poliwag was evolving, Cain could focus on other priorities.

He pulled a special quality-enhancing potion for Poliwag out of his storage space and handed it over for Poliwag to drink directly.

The light of evolution finally engulfed Poliwag entirely.

Keeping Poliwag in its current state somewhat restricted its combat abilities. Even though its level was higher than Combusken's and the others, its offensive capabilities weren't particularly notable. Only its Swift Swim ability under the rain allowed it to stand out in terms of speed.

In the recent battle against a group of Poliwag and Poliwhirl who countered Rain Dance, Poliwag had fought frustratingly.

However, it was precisely this battle that made Poliwag realize its true self.

Over the past few days of battles, Poliwag's ego had started to swell, believing itself to be the core of the team—the most important member. Though it never said this outright, it was how it felt.

This was understandable. Transitioning from a marginal member to a key player who initiated battles with Rain Dance was a difficult change to process.

Cain had noticed this shift but chose to remain silent.

If Poliwag continued letting its ego inflate, Cain had considered the possibility of replacing it.

And then, they encountered that group of Poliwag and Poliwhirl, also powered up by the rain.

It was only then that Poliwag recognized its true strength level. Without the rain's support, other team members like Aron and Combusken performed much better than it did. Even Marshtomp didn't suffer a major loss of power without the rain.

But Poliwag, without that boost, realized it had no advantage in attack, defense, or speed.

It even got harassed by one of the Poliwhirl. If Combusken hadn't arrived in time with its speed to assist, Poliwag might have been seriously injured.

After that tough battle, Poliwag felt somewhat disappointed but also relieved.

It returned to its original mindset and stopped comparing itself to others. It understood what its true role in the team was.

Cain's other Pokémon could perform exceptionally well even on their own, but it couldn't.

It could only be considered a Pokémon that relied on a system. It needed its friends' help and the support of its teammates.

After adjusting its mindset, Poliwag willingly accepted this blow. It was as though it had overcome a mental barrier, allowing it to enter the state of evolution.

Cain felt satisfied with the appearance of that group of Poliwag and Poliwhirl, as they at least helped Poliwag see reality.

With Cain's assistance, Poliwag drank the quality-enhancing potion in one gulp, and the evolution began.

At this moment, Poliwag's mindset was excellent. Even if the evolution failed, its quality didn't improve, or it couldn't become the team's most important member, it didn't matter.

Because Poliwag now knew it could use its abilities to integrate into the team and be an essential part of it.

That final shift in Poliwag's mindset was what made Cain decide to reinvest resources into it. As long as Poliwag could recognize its place in the team without believing itself superior to others and could coexist peacefully with its teammates, Cain would never abandon it.

To Cain, although he couldn't treat all his Pokémon with absolute equality, he would never allow any of them to feel above the others.

Not even Larvitar and Bagon, whom Cain valued most, received special treatment.

Pokémon had to live in harmony. Cain might favor some more than others since they contributed differently to him, but he wouldn't tolerate arrogance in any of them.

Poliwag's evolution began, and all the data recorded by Cain's system spiked.

The quality-enhancing potion had been tested twice, so there shouldn't be any issues.

Cain had invested a considerable amount of resources in its creation, combining knowledge from his mentor Matsuda Takashi, data from Team Rocket, and the expertise Cain had gained in his previous life.

Just as Cain had anticipated, when the white light faded, a Pokémon that stood upright with a spiral pattern on its abdomen appeared before him.

Its round eyes were filled with clarity and calm, and its newly gained hands made it feel slightly clumsy.

As a tadpole, Poliwag had lost its tail and gained hands. Such was evolution.

Cain activated the system to scan the data of the new Poliwhirl.

Pokémon: Poliwhirl (Blue)

Gender: Male

Level: 25

Type: Water

Ability: Swift Swim

Held Item: None

Egg Moves: Water Pulse, Refresh, Bubble Beam

Basic Moves: Water Sport, Water Gun, Hypnosis, Bubble, Double Slap, Rain Dance, Body Slam

Learned Moves: Snore, Ice Punch (taught by Weavile), Icy Wind (taught by Weavile)

TM Moves: None

As Cain had foreseen, Poliwhirl's quality had improved, reaching the blue level, just like Marshtomp.

Upon completing its evolution, Poliwhirl eagerly turned to tell its teammates it had evolved, but as soon as it did, it collapsed to the ground.

The side effects of the enhancement potion surfaced, leaving Poliwhirl in a weakened state for some time. Cain decided the little one's combat training could end for now.

All that remained was for Poliwhirl to develop its body to meet Cain's expectations, so it could use the King's Rock and evolve again.

Then it would become Politoed, the true core of the rain team.

Cain patted Poliwhirl gently on the head and, smiling, said, "Rest well after evolving. I look forward to seeing your growth."

Hearing Cain's words, Poliwhirl nodded firmly. It had understood its true self.

Cain returned Poliwhirl to its Poké Ball, then softly patted each of his Pokémon's heads, feeling their different textures before deciding to end this training session.

After recalling all his Pokémon, Cain rested his hand on Slowking's back, ready to return.

Slowking's psychic energy began to gather. Since they were far from Leafy Town, it took Slowking more time to locate the psychic coordinate point for teleportation.

Just as Slowking found the target and was about to use Teleport...

Suddenly, a strange wave of psychic energy emerged from another location, interfering with Slowking and preventing the move from being executed properly.

As a Psychic himself, Cain immediately detected the anomaly.

"Who's there?" Cain exclaimed coldly.

(End of Chapter)