Chapter 79: Is Your Persian Even Legal? And Mei's Arrival

After evolving, Slowking felt as if a switch in its brain had been flipped.

Its thoughts were much clearer, and its reactions were noticeably faster. It was as if a foggy pane of frosted glass had been replaced with a perfectly clear one. Everything in its vision became sharp and distinct.

This newfound clarity also allowed Slowking to perceive things it couldn't before.

Take that clearly abnormal Zorua, for instance—no need to mention its oddities further.

Then there was that Ogerpon that came by today, a Pokémon that seemed incredibly powerful.

What's more, there was a faint sense of something about Ogerpon that resembled Uxie, which left Slowking with a favorable impression of it, even though Ogerpon didn't yet know Slowking personally.

And then there was… the one standing right before it.

Slowking's signature "everyone looks like an idiot to me" gaze locked onto the cat-like glare of a Pokémon with an air of feline superiority—one that naturally regarded everyone else as beneath it.

For a brief moment, neither Slowking nor the Persian said a word.

It felt like the two were engaged in some sort of staring contest.

Finally, Slowking broke the silence.

"Slow."

"Meow."

The tension between the two Pokémon quickly dissipated as Slowking took the initiative to speak.

The two began chatting away, utterly ignoring the humans around them.

Their conversation? It was mostly mutual praise: "I'll be counting on you in the future," "No, no, I should be saying that to you," and other such trivialities.

Nothing of much substance, honestly.

Afterward, Slowking turned to look at Natsume beside it.

Since Natsume had said he'd help familiarize Slowking with the farm's management, they were currently doing a tour of the area. Slowking listened intently as Natsume explained the key points to running the farm.

Managing a farm was a first for Slowking, so it figured it had better take the time to learn.

Naturally, that also meant interacting with the other Pokémon on the farm.

The ones it had seen so far hadn't made much of an impression on it.

To be fair, they were all ordinary Pokémon, nothing particularly remarkable. Even the shiny Pokémon were treated by Slowking with a calm indifference.

That was, until it saw Persian.

Hold on a second.

Is this Persian even legal?

Slowking, whose evolved form had left it feeling a little self-important, suddenly felt grounded as it laid eyes on Persian.

Just looking at Persian's stance, it was obvious how absurdly strong it was.

It wasn't joking.

At first glance, Slowking didn't think much of Persian.

"Oh, just a normal Pokémon," it thought. Persian—a second-stage evolution, Normal-type. Nothing flashy about it.

Sure, it was fast, but its other attributes…

Average. Even as a high-speed attacker, it would struggle to excel.

Its move pool was decent, offering good coverage, but it lacked a defining, decisive move.

That was Slowking's initial assessment.

As such, it didn't pay Persian much attention at first.

It only gave Persian a second glance because it happened to be Natsume's earliest companion.

And then, Slowking noticed something was off.

Wait a minute.

This Persian… doesn't feel entirely legal.

Through its psychic perception, Slowking became certain that, purely in terms of physical condition, Persian was unparalleled among the Pokémon on the farm.

Even Ogerpon might only barely hold its own in a contest of strength.

Seriously, is this Persian even legal?

"You're the last Pokémon qualified to say that," Natsume remarked.

Slowking glanced at Natsume, feeling wronged.

It wasn't wrong—Water/Psychic-type Pokémon or not, its psychic powers were leagues beyond anything Natsume had ever encountered.

The moment it evolved, its mental energy expanded to cover the entire farm.

You're the least "legal" one here, okay?

As for Persian?

Having followed Natsume for over a decade, Persian had been fed a variety of Pokéblocks for just as long.

This included the highly experimental batches Natsume made during his "edgy" phase when he aspired to become the world's greatest Pokéblock craftsman.

Under such nurturing conditions, wasn't it only natural for Persian to be incredibly strong?

"Yadon."

No way. This thing isn't just strong—it's downright terrifying.

Its HP and SP stats are off the charts.

While replying to Natsume, Slowking absentmindedly scrolled through information on its phone.

It was studying human knowledge.

Based on something it just read online, this Persian was like a character from a martial arts comic.

It had abandoned fancy techniques and special moves, focusing instead on building up raw strength and endurance—maxing out its HP and SP bars, then relying on basic attacks and sheer willpower.

"Yadon?"

Slowking's fingers froze mid-scroll as it raised its head to glance toward the farm's entrance.

"What is it, Slowking?"

Natsume, who had been explaining details about the berry grove, looked at Slowking curiously.

He couldn't figure out what was on its mind now.

Honestly, Natsume missed the pre-evolution Slowpoke. It had been much cuter.

Now, after evolving, Slowking was distinctly less adorable.

Worse, it kept asking questions he couldn't answer.

Like:

"What's the meaning of life?"

"How do you survive the heat of the Big Bang?"

"Why are human preferences so bizarre and varied?"

"Could a nuclear explosion perfectly cook a pizza in a specific spot?"

"Do dogs think they've met a cop when they see a police dog?"

Natsume couldn't answer a single one.

It felt like Slowking was constantly exposing the gaps in his knowledge.

"Slow."

Slowking's psychic senses picked up someone approaching the farm.

It's a visitor—a very cute girl.

Scratching its chin, Slowking casually mentioned this while wondering if it should create a forum account for itself.

Sure, it could use telepathy—and now, after evolving, it was getting pretty good at it too.

But telepathy required effort, and since Natsume understood its speech just fine, Slowking didn't see the point in overexerting itself.

Yes, Slowking had quickly embraced Natsume's philosophy of "Why use your brain if you can let it rust?"

Doubt! Understand! Transcend!

"A girl?"

"Oh, it's Mei."

Mei had mentioned earlier that she'd be coming to train at Natsume's farm for a while.

"Slow?"

Do you need me to come with you?

Are you sure you won't get nervous?

Slowking looked at Natsume with concern.

Based on what it had read online, boys like Natsume—who had never dated, had few female friends, and small social circles—tended to get nervous around girls.

They were also easily manipulated by them.

Just look at Denji from Chainsaw Man.

Slowking worried that its new trainer might get deceived by a bad woman.

"I'll be fine. But if you're really that worried, you can come along."

Natsume couldn't help but laugh at Slowking's concern.

What kind of image do you have of me, anyway?

"Slow?"

A shy, innocent country boy who blushes when talking to girls?

The type you'd see in manga, with an untainted smile unspoiled by knowledge?

"You're overthinking it."

"Slow."

I think it fits pretty well.

Meanwhile, Mei was at the farm's entrance, chatting with a Servine.

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