"Alert! Unknown energy detected. Preliminary estimate: special awakening of a shiny Pokémon!" The system's mechanical voice echoed in Cain's mind.
Cain's heart skipped a beat.
Although his Slowpoke was a shiny Pokémon, it had never displayed significant differences compared to regular Slowpoke since it began following him.
Moreover, since a shiny Slowpoke's color wasn't drastically different from that of regular ones, Cain often forgot that his Slowpoke was one of these rare, special Pokémon.
He hadn't expected it to now begin revealing its uniqueness as a shiny Pokémon.
The Slowpoke on the ground stared with an inexplicable fervor at Cain's Slowpoke, which floated mid-air.
Then, as if following an unspoken agreement, they began channeling their psychic energy. Some contributed more, others less, but every Slowpoke sent its psychic power toward Cain's Slowpoke, still hovering in the air.
Sensing this collective psychic energy, Cain's expression shifted.
He felt as though he were submerged in a massive wave of psychic energy.
As a low-level psychic, he instinctively sat cross-legged.
He began channeling the small amount of psychic energy within himself, and suddenly, he felt like a small magnet.
From that immense ocean of psychic energy emanating from the Slowpoke, a tiny fraction began to seep into Cain's mind.
Immediately, Cain felt his own psychic energy increasing at an alarming rate.
That small fraction of psychic energy, insignificant to the Slowpoke, was like an unstoppable river pouring into Cain's barren reservoir, filling it rapidly.
Cain, who had long been considered a failure among psychics, had almost forgotten that he possessed psychic abilities.
But now, he finally understood what it meant to be a psychic.
In a matter of seconds, his psychic power underwent a drastic transformation.
He felt that now, with just a thought, he could move the small stones that once required all his effort—and without feeling drained.
If his psychic energy before had been like water in a glass, it could now fill a large tub, and it was still growing rapidly.
This was the true joy of being a psychic!
The uncontrollable flow of psychic energy lasted for an entire minute.
After a minute, the Slowpoke began showing signs of exhaustion, with some of the weaker ones collapsing on the ground and falling asleep.
The sound of snores filled the area.
The Slowpoke, drained of their psychic energy, entered a sleep state to recover their mental reserves.
As the last stream of psychic energy flowed into him, Cain opened his eyes abruptly.
His eyes glowed brightly with a vivid blue light.
A total transformation!
That was all Cain could think.
The psychic energy seemed to fill every corner of his body. And due to the rapid absorption, it even overflowed.
Cain's body emitted waves of psychic energy, the result of having absorbed too much energy too quickly.
"Don't let it escape... ugh!" Cain tried to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a surge of psychic energy burst out.
He quickly closed his eyes and focused, directing the psychic energy back into his mind.
Meanwhile, the Slowpoke floating in the air also ceased absorbing psychic energy. The energy surrounding it began to concentrate once more within its body.
Unlike Cain, who couldn't control the overflow, Slowpoke seemed like a bottomless well, absorbing all the energy without letting a drop escape.
Calmly, it floated down to the ground and lay down.
Meanwhile, Honchkrow and the others remained in their positions, though they didn't fully understand what had just happened.
Seeing the serious expressions on Cain and Slowpoke's faces, they realized this was no trivial matter, so they continued guarding them silently.
As for the Sharpedo in the water, they were utterly perplexed.
They had witnessed Slowpoke's transformation with their own eyes.
As Dark-types, they should normally feel no reaction to psychic energy. Yet the immense power radiating from Slowpoke stirred a strange sensation of fear within them.
Could these pink Pokémon be dangerous?
The leader of the Sharpedo shook its head, trying to banish the absurd idea from its mind.
It decided to attack to demonstrate its power.
A torrent of water swirled around it and surged forward in a massive stream aimed at the group.
Honchkrow and Sneasel prepared to intercept the attack, their expressions tense.
But at that moment, Slowpoke suddenly opened its eyes, and a powerful psychic shockwave interrupted the assault.
Slowpoke's psychic energy, like an enormous invisible hand, easily deflected the torrent of water.
Slowpoke rose slowly. There were no visible signs of psychic energy surrounding it now, but it felt like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode.
At that moment, its eyes gleamed with an unusual light Cain recognized instantly.
"Is that... Miracle Eye!?" Cain exclaimed, astonished.
Normally, a Slowpoke couldn't learn Miracle Eye—not through breeding or training. But with the awakening of its shiny nature, had Slowpoke mastered this move?
And not only that, its psychic power was now even more terrifying.
Though it didn't show it openly, Cain could sense it as a psychic.
Then, Slowpoke unleashed its most powerful Psychic-type move, Psyshock.
The effect was stunning. The psychic wave surged toward the Sharpedo, and along the way, several weaker Carvanha near the water rolled their eyes and fainted, floating belly-up.
Dark-type Pokémon, defeated by the residual force of a psychic wave?
Slowpoke's psychic energy had grown exponentially, and with the help of over thirty of its kind, it had become many times more powerful.
With the addition of Miracle Eye, its offensive capability had reached an unprecedented level.
The Psyshock struck the Sharpedo square on the head. Its eyes widened in shock as the attack hit, leaving it dazed like never before.
Slowpoke... had fully awakened its power!