Slowking's Evolution Method

Hearing Matsuda's words, Professor Oak glanced at Aoki with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Open a Gym?

Unexpectedly, Aoki, who was widely advertised on TV as the head of the next generation of breeders, would actually open a Gym.

Is this going to go together?

"If he wants to open a Gym, with his current status in the Breeder's Guild, there should be no problem. Those old men will definitely talk to him," Professor Oak said.

The person who can make him call the old men is obviously not young.

No way, breeders are famous for their longevity.

Except for a few people, the few old guys in the Breeder's Guild are almost the highest seniority in the League.

"Yes, there is no problem for him to open the Gym now. The main reason is that he did not expect to achieve such an effect before. What this brat showed during the assessment really impressed those old guys.

But before he attended the assessment, he also told me that he wanted to hand over a special evolution method of Pokémon he had obtained to the League. Plus, if you and I said a few words in exchange for a chance to open a Gym..."

Matsuda just explained and continued, "Then, it's best to give him the status of a researcher so that the results he submits can be signed by him, and the effect may be better."

Hearing Matsuda's words, Professor Oak frowned, "Matsuda, Aoki is already walking a dangerous path, and now you want to push him further? Wasn't it said that a researcher's status is too important to just hand out? If he holds both the status of a breeder and a Pokémon researcher, it's fine if he has no research results. But if he makes an important discovery, with his current strength in Hoenn, do you think someone will come after him?

He needs to open a Gym and become a Gym Leader. With such a comprehensive skill set, won't someone try to take him down first?"

Professor Oak's words were direct and honest. Matsuda was his good friend, so he didn't sugarcoat anything.

The three fell into silence for a moment.

There was nothing wrong with the emergence of an outstanding talent, but when someone became too exceptional, even to the point of being perceived as a threat, some people would see them as dangerous.

"I didn't think about it that way, but let's talk about Aoki's achievement. After all, it is his discovery. We can secretly record it in the League's files and let him reveal it when he is strong enough in the future," Matsuda said.

"That's fine. I'm still curious about what exactly Aoki has discovered."

The two turned their eyes to Aoki.

Aoki didn't say anything. He took out a Pokéball from his pocket, tossed it forward, and summoned his Slowking.

Seeing Slowking, Professor Oak's eyes lit up instantly, even more than when he had seen Mismagius before. At some point, a magnifying glass had appeared in his hand.

"A Shiny Slowking!"

But before Professor Oak could rush over, Matsuda stopped him. "Samuel, you can study it later. Let's talk business first."

"Oh, right! Just a professional habit, just a habit."

Aoki said, "Professor Oak, the evolution method I discovered is for Slowking. People have known about Slowking for a long time and have suspected it as an evolution of Slowpoke, but until now, no one had figured out how to evolve it.

I accidentally triggered the evolution of my Slowpoke into Slowking, and I believe that's the key to understanding its evolution."

Having said that, Aoki paused.

Shouldn't they be asking questions now? Why weren't they reacting?

Matsuda smacked Aoki lightly on the back of the head. "Keep going, don't stop halfway."

You brat! We're both sitting here, and you expect us to prompt you?

After being smacked, Aoki quickly scratched his head and continued, "It happened like this: I got an item from Steven Stone, the Champion of Hoenn. From him, I obtained a King's Rock. By chance, I let my Slowpoke hold the King's Rock, and then, while playing, a Shellder bit onto Slowpoke's head. That's how it evolved into Slowking."

"The King's Rock?!" Professor Oak's eyes gleamed.

"Ever since its discovery, the King's Rock has had an unclear purpose. Most of the time, it was just considered an accessory or a collector's item. I never expected it to assist evolution," Professor Oak murmured.

As for how Aoki got the King's Rock from Steven, that was no longer his concern.

"That makes sense! Slowking is essentially the leader of a group of Slowpoke. To become a leader, it must have a presence akin to royalty, and the King's Rock carries that aura. It makes perfect sense that it could trigger Slowking's evolution!"

The more Professor Oak spoke, the more he felt certain that the King's Rock causing Slowpoke's evolution into Slowking was not just a possibility but an inevitable conclusion.

"Aoki, 90% of your theory is correct. You just need to test it with another Slowpoke. But King's Rocks aren't easy to come by, and they're expensive."

Aoki nodded. Of course, that wasn't a problem. In his previous life, this discovery would be made in a few years anyway—he was just claiming the credit early.

"Would you be willing to leave your Shiny Slowking here for a while? I'd love to study it," Professor Oak asked, his researcher's instincts flaring up again.

Aoki smiled helplessly and said, "Professor Oak, I want to open a Water-type Gym. Right now, Slowking is my trump card. Without him, I probably wouldn't be strong enough to open a Gym. After all, my previous Pokémon choices didn't focus on Water-types."

"That's true. If you want to open a Water-type Gym, having Slowking would help build the Gym's reputation and attract challengers. But a Gym Leader's strength shouldn't be weak. Aoki, if you only have one Slowking, even if you qualify to open a Gym, you're still lacking in both Pokémon numbers and strength," Professor Oak said, not forcing the issue.

"I know. Before the Gym is fully built, I'll go out for some training. When I return, I should be in better shape, and I'll need to catch a few more Water-type Pokémon to round out my team for the Gym."