"Master, I'm okay. I feel good now." The blue light flickered in the Slowpoke's eyes, and telepathic waves resonated in Aoki's mind.
Listening to Slowpoke's voice, Aoki couldn't help but smile, realizing that it was really in good shape.
Not only was there no weakness, but even the telepathy, which had previously been erratic when the spirit wasn't functioning well, now seemed to be smoother and more controlled.
Aoki reached out and gently touched the pink head of Slowpoke, saying with a smile, "Don't be so stubborn next time, listen to me."
"Yeah~~" Slowpoke chirped, enjoying the gentle pat on the head, and unconsciously made a contented sound.
The blue light continued to glow in its eyes, and a telepathic message filled Aoki's mind, "Master, I'm fully recovered now. I can use Teleport again, and it won't be like last time."
"Oh?" Aoki's eyes lit up, a bit surprised by the words.
If Slowpoke could teleport such a distance, they'd be very close to the base.
However, Teleport could only move to places previously visited, so Slowpoke could now move to the closest spot to the base, which was near the waterfall from before.
Considering the distance, it wasn't too far. Compared to the previous journey, it would be much shorter.
Aoki believed that it wouldn't be difficult for Slowpoke to teleport this distance once it had fully recovered.
He nodded with a smile, "Alright, let's do it again, and then we can prepare dinner."
He waved at Murkrow, who had been keeping watch from the tree.
Once Murkrow landed, Aoki said, "Murkrow, Slowpoke has recovered. We'll move again instantly. Gastly, come out too."
Since returning from the surroundings, Gastly had been hiding in Aoki's shadow, feeling comfortable in the space there.
"Kekeke~~" Gastly floated out of the shadows and circled Slowpoke, intrigued by Slowpoke's psychic abilities.
"Yeah~~" Slowpoke responded, using telepathy to communicate with Gastly, clearly taking its role as the older companion to its new teammate with a bit of responsibility.
"Alright, Gastly, stop hovering around Slowpoke. Slowpoke, let's get started." Aoki smiled after watching Gastly's curiosity.
Gastly, still young in its development, was easily distracted, but Aoki indulged it as it had just joined the team.
"Kekeke~~" Hearing Aoki's words, Gastly obediently floated back to Aoki, as if to show it was a good Pokémon.
Once Gastly left, Slowpoke began the Teleport again.
It was clear that Slowpoke had become more proficient. The time needed to start the teleportation was shorter, and its control over the energy was more refined.
When Aoki opened his eyes again, they were already in a different forest. He scanned the surroundings, trying to figure out where they had ended up.
Slowpoke had no clear memory of the surroundings, unlike the fast movement in Scyther's territory.
Aoki immediately recognized the area.
This was the place where Aoki and Murkrow had been chased by Rattata, and where Aoki's first encounter with Slowpoke had occurred.
Murkrow also recognized the place, landing from the air and pointing out the damage to the ground from their past escape, while calling out to Aoki.
"I know, I know, this is where we were chased by Rattata, and we stopped them here." Aoki smiled and gently patted Murkrow's wings.
"Kekeke?" Gastly, curious, looked around Murkrow.
As the oldest Pokémon on the team, Murkrow explained the situation they had faced back then—how it fought off Rattata and how many it had taken down.
Aoki smiled and shook his head. Gastly's presence had clearly made the mood of the team lighter.
Murkrow, the first Pokémon Aoki had caught, was also the most serious. It had always been a reliable and combative companion, though it rarely spoke.
Slowpoke, the second member, was more stubborn but dependable.
When it was just the two of them, they often didn't talk much, but now with Gastly's addition, their communication was much more lively.
Aoki hadn't wanted to interrupt their rare conversation, but it was getting late. If they didn't start a fire soon, it would be difficult to move at night.
"Alright, stop for now. Murkrow, go catch some rabbits or pheasants. Gastly, gather some firewood. Slowpoke, set up the tent with your will." Aoki called, assigning tasks.
Murkrow immediately stopped talking, not complaining about Aoki's orders, and quickly got to work.
That night, they sat around the fire. Murkrow, having just eaten, was lazily standing on the ground, not wanting to move, and Slowpoke was in the same mood after eating.
Only Gastly was still energetic and active. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI[F]ire.net
As a Ghost-type, Gastly didn't need food, but it could consume Pokéblocks. Since Aoki hadn't made one specifically for Gastly, its "meal" that evening was the leftover energy from the Pokémon Murkrow had caught.
While eating, Gastly curiously watched Murkrow and Slowpoke, wondering what the food tasted like. But after trying it, it immediately dropped the food, embarrassed by the taste, and gave up.
After a short break, Aoki said, "Okay, let's take a break and digest the food before bed."
As he spoke, Murkrow and Slowpoke stood up habitually, waiting for Aoki's training plan.
Gastly, unsure of what to do, mimicked their actions and stopped obediently.
"Murkrow, use Dark Pulse 50 times, Wing Attack 100 times. Let's target that big tree." Aoki pointed to a large tree, assigning Murkrow's training for the night.
"You, Slowpoke, continue to train your psychic abilities. Today, you'll lift five stones five hundred times." Given Slowpoke's rapid progress with its psychic powers, Aoki had increased its training requirements.
"As for Gastly..." Aoki paused, considering, "You'll do a sprinting drill today. Use your speed and see how quickly you can run between those two trees. Run 2000 times first. Let me see how your stamina is."