Chapter 345 · Slakoth with Championship Potential

"Whatever you want."

Gary watched Zinnia pleading with him and said nothing more.

After all, Zinnia's only goal was to become a Dragon-type specialist she had never claimed she wanted to be the world's strongest Trainer.

The requirements for a Dragon-type specialist were simple: assemble a team of Dragons.

"When are we going into the tunnel?" Zinnia asked.

They had already reached the entrance to Rusturf Tunnel, but since it was noon, Gary preferred to rest first and enter afterward.

"After I catch one more Pokémon," he said.

Zinnia shrugged. Gary might look like he was slacking off, yet she trusted his skills—at least he could catch fish. Thanks to him, they had enjoyed fresh fish every "one, three, and six" day of the past three-day cycle.

A sudden tug on the float interrupted her thoughts. Gary lifted the rod and felt something strong pulling on the line. After nearly a minute of tug-of-war, the opponent tired and Gary beached it.

A red Magikarp flopped onto the bank.

[Lv. 7 Magikarp ♂ / Elite]

"Ah, Magikarp." Zinnia's eyes had once shone when she learned Magikarp could evolve into Gyarados, but her enthusiasm faded the moment she discovered Gyarados wasn't a Dragon-type.

"Back you go."

Disappointed, Gary unhooked the Magikarp and slid it back into the river.

"Hey—what's that?" Zinnia pointed to a white Pokémon hanging upside-down from a tree across the river. She raised her Pokédex.

Pokédex: "Slakoth, the Slacker Pokémon. A Normal-type. It sleeps for nearly twenty hours a day, moving so infrequently that people often mistake it for a tree branch."

Gary looked up—and froze.

[Lv. 10 Slakoth ♂ / Champion]

He hadn't noticed the Slakoth's Champion-level potential earlier. Now he was excited.

Slakoth's final evolution, Slaking, boasts a base stat total of 670—higher than most Legendary Pokémon and only ten points below the highest among non-Legendaries. Were it not for its Ability, Truant, a Slaking with even a mediocre move set would dominate competitive battles.

"What would happen if I upgraded Truant to EX rank?" Gary wondered.

In the games, Truant forces a Pokémon to loaf around every other turn, but reality is harsher—most Slaking doze off for entire rounds. Norman's Slaking, the ace of the Petalburg City Gym, is a rare exception that fights continuously. Gary suspected an EX-rank Truant might explain the difference.

"A lazy Pokémon? Ugh." Zinnia wrinkled her nose hard work was in her blood.

"Eevee!" Gary called.

Eevee trotted over. "Vee?"

"Use Psychic to move that Slakoth here."

Eevee's eyes gleamed. Slakoth drifted off the branch and floated across the river, showing almost no reaction. Even mid-air, its limbs moved in slow motion. Once set gently on the grass, it yawned. "Slaa…"

Eevee tilted his head at Gary: Do you really want this?

"Absolutely."

Gary tapped a Poké Ball to the Slakoth. The ball barely twitched before locking—Slakoth was too lazy to resist.

"What? You caught it just like that?" Zinnia gasped. She had never seen such an effortless capture.

"Relax," Gary said calmly. "Slakoth seldom bothers struggling."

"Too lazy to fight back, and you still want it?" she asked, baffled.

"Never judge a Pokémon by appearances. Slakoth acts this way because of its Ability its potential is enormous."

Zinnia pictured the half-asleep creature. "If you say so."

"I'll raise it properly," Gary assured her.

"Are you sure you can even train it? Slaking are famous for being impossible."

Gary sighed she wasn't wrong. In the anime, only two Trainers—Norman and a green-haired boy named Sawyer—have ever showcased fully trained Slaking. Most people start with Vigoroth once it evolves, the workload skyrockets.

Still, Gary had options. Worst-case scenario, he could accelerate its growth with Rare Candies. First, though, he wanted to see how fast this Champion-potential Slakoth could develop on its own.