136. Immortal Method

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Seeing that Roy had woken up, Lucario, Blastoise, and Mimikyu, who had been training throughout the special training room, rushed back one after another.

Except during competitions, Mimikyu rarely emerged from its Poké Ball. Lucario and Blastoise regarded it with curiosity, while Ninetales maintained an indifferent gaze. Everyone's reactions made Mimikyu shudder, and it quickly attempted to escape into Roy's shadow.

"Wait!" Roy had anticipated this and stopped Mimikyu with Confusion.

"Mim?" Mimikyu tilted its head, expressing confusion.

"Mimikyu, Ninetales and I just used a Z-Move. Did you feel anything special?" Roy asked, his eyes burning with curiosity.

When activating the Z-Crystal, Roy had felt the vastness of natural energy for the first time. He couldn't help but feel wild hope rising within him. This nature power that no one had ever deeply explored might now be within his grasp—the ability to create his own techniques.

The phenomenon of the Z-Crystal mobilizing Nature Power undoubtedly stemmed from the power of Necrozma. The totem aura surrounding Mimikyu also originated from the light energy of that legendary Pokémon—another form of Nature Power.

Roy theorized that just as Z-Crystals transformed pure Nature Power into Z-Power of different types, perhaps the totem aura was also a kind of natural energy that had been transformed. Evidence suggested that in the Pokémon world, some Totem Pokémon could learn to craft Z-Crystals after being taught by the Guardian Deities, using them as trophies for island challenges.

If Mimikyu could also learn to create Z-Crystals...

Roy's eyes sparkled as he envisioned hundreds of millions of Pokédollars flowing from Mimikyu, along with eighteen different types of Z-Crystals.

Under Roy's expectant gaze, Mimikyu considered for a moment before giving its answer. The power triggered by Z-Moves was similar to what it consumed when generating the totem aura. After reflecting, Mimikyu indicated that it typically consumed very little energy, far less than what the Z-Move had just expended.

Perfect! His guess was correct!

Roy immediately handed over his Psychium Z and said, "Here, take a look at this. Can you make one?"

Mimikyu stared at him with an expression that clearly said: "Do you think I'm a Z-Crystal factory? You're embarrassing me."

True enough. Without the guidance of a Guardian Deity, it was unlikely that Totem Pokémon would comprehend the creation of Z-Crystals independently. They had no need for them and couldn't use them themselves. Without demand, there would be no research.

"We need to obtain a Ghostium Z as soon as possible and let Mimikyu perform a Z-Move," Roy thought. "There's no teaching more effective than personal experience. Eventually, automated production of all eighteen types of Z-Crystals might be possible."

Due to current limitations, the Z-Crystal manufacturing plan was temporarily shelved. However, Roy didn't abandon his ambition to master Nature Power.

"Mimikyu, I've decided to change your training plan." Roy looked at Lucario and Blastoise with a smile. "I want you to bestow the Totem Aura upon both of them."

Lucario and Blastoise reacted simultaneously! Lucario quickly understood Roy's intentions, recognizing his aim to harness Nature Power. Blastoise grew excited, wondering if it could finally undergo a transformation.

"Can it be done?"

Sensing Roy's expectant gaze, Mimikyu hesitated. It was so troublesome—it didn't particularly enjoy interacting with others. But Mimikyu nodded, indicating that although it had never attempted this before, it could try.

The training plan for the next twenty days was finalized. Roy and Ninetales practiced Z-Moves repeatedly each day. Originally, Z-Moves could be practiced at most once daily, but Roy, through Pokédollars and Clefable's Heal Pulse, managed to practice Z-Moves at least twenty times per day.

Elekid ventured to the Dragon's Lair to face life-and-death situations in order to evolve. Blastoise practiced master-level Iron Defense and Light Screen, while Lucario delved into the power of aura, additionally cooperating with Mimikyu to receive the Totem aura.

Creating Totem auras frequently demanded substantial energy, so Roy invested heavily in nutrition for Mimikyu. To Roy's surprise, due to the high-intensity usage of Totem aura, Mimikyu's perception of natural energy rose to unprecedented levels, bringing the completion of the "Moonlight Perpetual Motion Machine" increasingly closer.

While training progressed smoothly, Roy's finances deteriorated rapidly. The special training room cost 200,000 Pokédollars daily. Z-Move and Totem aura training greatly increased daily point consumption, approaching one million points per day.

Roy could describe these expenses with only two words: outrageous.

Fortunately, such extravagant expenditures quickly yielded positive results. The Totem aura endowment for Lucario and Blastoise finally succeeded on the tenth day. Their ability values improved dramatically.

Lucario with the Totem condition reached A+ grade. When its Aura Boxing is activated, even Pseudo-legendary Pokémon at their racial limit possessed slightly inferior comprehensive abilities. In game terms, Totem Lucario's strength had transcended typical Pokémon limitations.

Totem Blastoise also achieved A+ status. After activating Torrent, its Water-type destructive power became the team's most formidable—excluding Z-Moves, of course.

However, like typical Totem Pokémon, neither could generate the Totem Aura independently. They could maintain a Totem condition for only a few hours, requiring Mimikyu to replenish their aura energy.

From this development, Roy recognized again that Mimikyu possessed unique natural energy talent. Such a pity.

"Such strong talent for natural energy, yet Mimikyu is the least suited to utilize Totem aura on our team," Roy thought with mild amusement.

Why was Mimikyu unsuitable for Totem aura? The reason was simple—it was too small.

The larger the body size, the more aura energy it could encompass, and the greater the strength increase. Whether on television or in games, Totem Pokémon were typically larger than their standard counterparts—this was the reason.

Even naturally small Pokémon underwent secondary growth when wrapped in Totem aura. However, Mimikyu was a Ghost-type without a true body, making secondary development impossible. Its physical size was among the smallest of Ghost-types.

The aura energy enveloping Mimikyu was simply too limited. Blastoise, standing over two meters tall, proved most compatible with the Totem aura, showing the greatest statistical improvement.

"Blast!" Admiring the golden aura surrounding its body, Blastoise's round face flushed slightly, convinced its magnificence had reached new heights. It looked truly impressive.

At lunchtime, Blastoise unexpectedly divided a third of the energy cubes from its bowl and offered them to Mimikyu.

"Mim!?" Mimikyu was shocked. Having secretly observed everyone for days, it understood each Pokémon's character thoroughly. Blastoise ranked second only to Cosmog as the team's biggest food enthusiast, treating meals as sacred. Yet it had offered its most cherished food?

Mimikyu turned its head to see Blastoise beaming cheerfully, eyes full of affection, as if regarding a precious treasure.

Witnessing this, Lucario felt that as the team's big brother, it must follow suit, and likewise gave Mimikyu a portion of its energy cubes. Ninetales appeared momentarily surprised. With everyone participating, would Roy think poorly of it if it abstained? So Ninetales too shared some energy cubes.

Looking at the overflowing bowl of energy cubes it couldn't possibly finish, Mimikyu felt genuinely touched. It seemed the family had already accepted it! Mimikyu just hadn't opened its heart to them yet!

Roy, observing everything, remained silent. He recognized Blastoise's expression well—it mirrored how he had cherished his favorite toy as a child, before discovering it couldn't actually do what he thought and discarding it.

Poor Mimikyu. The naive Ghost-type didn't realize Blastoise merely saw it as a transformation tool.

Noticing Mimikyu's emotional response, Roy decided not to reveal the truth. Instead, he seized this opportunity to help the socially anxious Ghost-type integrate with the team.

"Although it isn't well-suited for Totem aura, Mimikyu pairs excellently with Z-Moves," Roy thought. "With Mimikyu's talent, it might be possible for it to execute Z-Moves independently, without a Z-Ring or trainer assistance."

Roy established his goals: First, all team members master the Totem condition. Second, the Z-Crystal production plan, with each Pokémon mastering their own Z-Move. Third, Mimikyu learns to use Z-Moves independently, then teaches other Pokémon the same skill.

These represented a progression of increasingly difficult objectives. Mimikyu was undeniably the core of this research and development; without it, advancing would be impossible. The road ahead remained long.

This outlined Roy's general development plan for Nature Power. Once self-initiated Z-Moves were achieved, he would create his own unique techniques.

"Calling the technique 'Nature Power' seems too generic," Roy mused. After brief consideration, he immediately thought of a more fitting name: "Immortal Technique!"

"If development succeeds, this special technique will be called Immortal Method."

Roy smiled with enthusiasm. Having watched ninja shows extensively before his journey, which also utilized Nature Power, the connection to mystical techniques seemed natural.

Totem condition equated to an immortal state. Z-Moves resembled Immortal Techniques, both deriving from Nature Power fusion that greatly amplified their strength. For instance, Ninetales' Shattered Psyche could be translated as Immortal Method: Psychic Art.

Independent Z-Moves without Z-Ring assistance paralleled the concept of the immortal body, enabling technique usage anytime, anywhere, without requiring guided absorption of Nature Power.

In this world without Z-Power, once Roy's techniques were perfected, he would become the true creator of immortal magic. The vision was inspiring.

The most urgent task now: purchasing a Ghostium Z for Mimikyu, the core developer.

Noting fewer than 20 million Pokédollars remained in his account, Roy thought firmly: "In the decisive battle against Stonecrest University, we must not lose!"