Capture

Aoki once again took out the weighted remote control on the Murkrow and faced a level 20 Slowpoke with the same green qualifications. At this time, the Murkrow could not be bound by any point.

The Murkrow, now untied, was not as excited as before. It felt the pressure in the face of this Slowpoke.

However, no matter how slow the Slowpoke was, its strength still lay in its psychic abilities. But for the dark-typed Murkrow, what were psychic abilities? It never felt that psychic powers had any effect on it. Therefore, the Slowpoke was inherently vulnerable.

Even so, the Slowpoke did not give up resisting. Instead, it became braver and more excited in the battle. Even though it only used Water Gun, it was surprisingly effective. With the advantage of its level and excellent physique, it still went toe-to-toe with Murkrow.

After the confrontation, Murkrow panted, and the Slowpoke lay on the ground, not as active as before, but its eyes were still bright. If you stared at its eyes, you could read excitement, satisfaction, happiness, and various emotions.

In the battle, although Aoki kept commanding Murkrow, he also constantly observed the Slowpoke's changes, learning more about it. The reason the Slowpoke appeared here alone was likely not only because of its color, but its personality might also be part of the reason. If it weren't for the Slowpoke's appearance, Aoki would have thought it was another warlike Pokémon.

"Murkrow, use Dark Pulse again, and let this future companion rest for a while." Aoki, who had been paying attention to the Slowpoke's changes, also understood that the Slowpoke in front of him, although powerful, was already at its physical limit. A Dark Pulse attack from Murkrow would be enough to knock it out.

Murkrow moved, though it was already tired, using its moves was still manageable. The Dark Pulse gathered more and more dark energy, and in a short moment, it launched the final attack on the Slowpoke.

The Slowpoke, which had persisted with its last ounce of strength, could no longer resist. Although its level was higher than Murkrow's, it specialized in psychic abilities, but it could not use them against a dark-type like Murkrow. Its disadvantages were evident from the start. Defeat was just a matter of time.

It would be nice if I could continue to fight like this. On the contrary, the Slowpoke didn't have any particular feelings about the situation, but it did not forget the battle and seemed obsessed with the concept of strength.

A Pokéball hit it just as it collapsed, and the open Pokéball absorbed the Slowpoke.

The Pokéball shook constantly on the ground, and the continuous red light in the center indicated the unease inside.

Aoki walked over and looked at the constantly shaking Pokéball. He couldn't help but say, "Slowpoke, follow me, there will be endless battles ahead."

As if it heard Aoki's words, the Pokéball continued to shake for more than ten seconds. After making a "click" sound, the red light stopped flashing, and the shaking gradually ceased.

Aoki saw that the Slowpoke was finally subdued, and immediately grabbed the Pokéball. He released the Slowpoke, which was now resting. As soon as the Pokéball opened, a red light flashed, and a pale pink Pokémon appeared on the ground. The Slowpoke, which had been unconscious before, now had its eyes open, though its body was still injured and unable to move.

Aoki gently lifted the Slowpoke and sat on the damp ground, placing it on his lap. He looked at the scared and confused expression of the Slowpoke and said softly, "Don't be afraid, Slowpoke, we will be companions from now on. This is Murkrow. Although you fought earlier, you two must get along well in the future."

"Caw! Caw!" Murkrow nodded quickly. It didn't want a companion who had joined it too easily. When it first joined, it had been hostile toward it.

Surprisingly, the Slowpoke did not resent Murkrow in the slightest. In fact, because it hadn't fought in a while, it felt a bit fond of Murkrow after the battle. Its large eyes clearly showed its emotions. "Slow~," it called weakly, indicating that it didn't mind.

Upon hearing the Slowpoke's call, Murkrow seemed relieved and turned curiously to understand this powerful and warlike companion better.

Aoki also understood their silent communication. He smiled and took out a healing spray from his belt, applying it to the wounds on the Slowpoke's body. "Slow~ slow~," the Slowpoke cried out in appreciation as the energy wounds began to heal.

After the spray had been applied, the Slowpoke cried out loudly, looking at Aoki with a bit of doubt and longing. Its embarrassed expression was completely different from the clinging and calmness it had shown during the battle.

"Slowpoke, we are companions now. Please guide me in the future," Aoki said with a smile. He then took out a light yellow Pokéblock from his belt, a Yellow Berry Pokéblock used earlier by Murkrow, which could restore part of the Pokémon's stamina.

"Slow~!" The Slowpoke eagerly swallowed the middle-level Pokéblock offered by Aoki, and its round eyes widened instantly, revealing a very satisfied look. It let out a cry of enjoyment.

Only ten seconds later, the Slowpoke recovered from the bliss of the Pokéblock. At this point, it felt a difference in its body. Since it had joined the group, the Slowpoke had always felt weak, only able to use about 80% of its strength. But after consuming the Pokéblock, it felt much stronger, almost at 90%. While not at its peak, it was pleasantly surprised by the improvement.

"It seems you really like Pokéblocks, Slowpoke. Don't imitate other Slowpokes; just be yourself," Aoki guessed, realizing that its earlier weakness was because it had started to abandon its own identity in an attempt to imitate others.

"Ahhhhh!" The Slowpoke cried out happily, feeling the kindness Aoki had shown it, which was unlike the disdain it had felt from others. It finally let down its guard and revealed its true self.

Although it still appeared to be a Slowpoke, its eyes were sharper now. The dullness had disappeared from them, and they reflected its desire for battle, no longer suppressed.

Aoki smiled. Only when the Slowpoke released its true self did it become its true self, even if it was different from other Slowpokes. Time would tell if that was right or wrong.

Sure enough, after eating the Yellow Berry Pokéblock and recovering its natural state, the Slowpoke's qualifications began to return.

The Slowpoke would still need to consume Yellow Berry Pokéblocks for some time. Before Murkrow used up the remaining supply, the Slowpoke wouldn't have enough, so Aoki needed to make more. The damage to the Slowpoke, even with the help of healing spray, couldn't be fully restored in a short time.

In order to help the Slowpoke grow, Aoki considered creating some specialized Pokéblocks for Slowpoke, combining both water and psychic energy types. He already had some ideas for it and had found some relevant formulas in his chip database.

"Slowpoke, can you walk by yourself? Let's find a place to rest." This place was too wet to camp, but it made a good drinking point.

As a smaller Pokémon, it weighed nearly 40 kilograms, which was difficult for Aoki to carry.

"Slow~" The Slowpoke nodded but didn't move. However, there was a faint blue glow in its eyes. With its psychic abilities, it levitated itself slightly off the ground, lightening its weight for Aoki to carry.

Aoki watched in awe as the Slowpoke used its powerful psychic energy with such fine control. He realized that he had really found a treasure. If it didn't touch evil energy, the Slowpoke's psychic abilities would be nearly unmatched.

With the Slowpoke floating and Murkrow flying in the air, Aoki left the misty valley, looking for a drier, flat area to set up camp. It took longer than before to gather dry wood, but he managed to start a fire just as noon approached. Aoki began preparing lunch.

The Slowpoke couldn't move due to its injuries and the passing of its qualifications, so Murkrow was ordered to catch some fish for food. Although Slowpoke could eat both meat and plants, eating more meat would help it recover faster.

While the fish cooked over the flame, Aoki took out the Pokéblock-making tool he hadn't used in a while. Aoki needed to stock up on Yellow Berry Pokéblocks. Under Murkrow's and the Slowpoke's watchful eyes, he skillfully made several Pokéblocks. Crafting intermediate Pokéblocks was no trouble for him.

He placed all the Yellow Berry Pokéblocks in the grinding tool, leaving them to solidify. Luckily, there was still plenty left from before, so the Slowpoke could start recovering its talent from today.