Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Mischievous Little One

The test of practice is the sole criterion of truth.

Su Yi wore a faint smile at the corner of his mouth as he said to Locus: "Come here, partner. I’ve got something good for you."

"Meow?" Locus padded over with curiosity.

"Phone Rotom, please." Su Yi handed over the move record for Sword Dance.

Phone Rotom flew out, grinning as it said, "This is my first time doing this, Rotom."

With that, Phone Rotom placed the disc against the back of the phone.

Beep-beep!

As the phone read it, an electronic tone sounded, and Phone Rotom's eyes lit up. "Ohhh! I’ve fully read the power of this disc, Rotom!"

Su Yi: ...

Are you about to get a Stand or something?

"Partner, this move record will let you learn a new, very powerful move," Su Yi explained to the puzzled cat.

"A very powerful move, meow?" Locus said expectantly.

"Locus, I shall teach you this move, Rotom!" Phone Rotom announced, opening the screen.

On the display, a sketchy hound-like creature swung its tail, stained with paint, and used Sword Dance.

Arms folded, Su Yi tilted his head. He still couldn’t make much of it. That was it?

But when he looked at Locus, he found that its expression now looked exactly like that meme of "strange knowledge has increased."

"Partner?" Su Yi called tentatively, but Locus gave no response.

"This is a normal phenomenon," Sai Dou explained.

"Is that so?" Su Yi scratched his head. Soon the video of the paint-tailed creature using Sword Dance ended, and Locus came back to its senses from the move-learning state.

"I think I learned something, meow..." Locus said uncertainly, scratching at its cat ears.

"Then try it. Partner, use Sword Dance!" Su Yi said.

With a meow, the cat struck a power-up pose, and a ring of spectral swords circled around it. After a while, the cat stopped moving.

"My power seems stronger, meow!" the cat exclaimed in surprise. Having never used a boosting move before, it felt the increase in strength for the first time so clearly.

Su Yi opened the Hunting Manual to check Locus's information, and sure enough, Sword Dance had been added to its moves.

"Meow!" Overcome with novelty, Locus straightened its chest and struck a pose to display its strength, though it remained adorable all the same.

A bigger, better, stronger cat!

"So what’s the principle behind this?" Su Yi scratched his head.

Though it had only just learned it and the proficiency was low, the Pokémon had genuinely learned the move in a very short time.

And the Sword Dance move disc had become nothing more than a useless disk.

Clearly, TMs possessed some mysterious power Su Yi did not understand, and had no intention of inventing a nonsense explanation for.

"Whatever," Su Yi said, giving up on thinking about it.

...

Su Yi released a few Pokémon to share dessert.

"Meow~" Locus wore a blissful expression, its entire body going limp.

Blissey took tiny bites, savoring each mouthful, while Larvesta was held in Su Yi's arms as he fed it.

As soon as Kubfu appeared, it drew Sai Dou's attention.

"This Pokémon is..."

"This was entrusted to me by Master Ma, a Fighting-type Kubfu."

"Sorry, Kubfu. The battle earlier was too dangerous, so I didn't let you out," Su Yi apologized.

The truth was that Kubfu's current strength was still far too weak against those monsters. In a Pokémon battle, it would have been completely fine, but against monsters, it still seemed terribly small and fragile.

Still, when they later went to Hoenn to challenge the Gyms, there would be a chance for Kubfu to shine.

"Grru." Kubfu nodded, but in its eyes burned a hunger to grow stronger.

"Danger?" Sai Dou sharply caught the word.

All along, she had been somewhat puzzled about where exactly Su Yi was adventuring. Back when she had been on the Isle of Armor, she had nearly gone everywhere, yet she had never seen Su Yi, nor had she found any especially dangerous place.

"Su Yi, it's time, Rotom," Phone Rotom reminded him.

"Right, I almost forgot about the little ones." Su Yi slapped his forehead and released the Poison Bird and Dako. It was time to feed them.

"Wah!" As soon as the Poison Bird appeared, it cried out with its mouth wide open.

"All right, all right, there’s food for you!" Su Yi took out Pokémon food, carefully mixed in some crushed walnut fragments, and handed it to the Poison Bird. It was time for it to try nuts.

"Uwah!" While Su Yi was busy preparing food for the Poison Bird, the little male Charizard Dako mischievously climbed onto Su Yi's back and kept barking excitedly.

"Has Dako gotten heavier too? Kids really do grow fast," Su Yi said, feeling the weight on his back. He was happy, but also a little troubled.

When a little rascal threw its weight around in a spoiled mood, it was one thing; once it grew a bit bigger, that wouldn’t be spoiled behavior anymore, but a dragon charge.

Besides, Dako's claws were starting to grow sharper. If Su Yi had not been wearing his gear, his back would already have been covered in scratches.

"These two Pokémon are really special," Sai Dou said, crouching down curiously to look at the two adorable little monsters.

"This one is called the Poison Bird. It's a little fellow who loves nuts, and this is Dako, a male Charizard. He's a little troublemaker too," Su Yi introduced with a smile.

"Roar!" Dako cried out, letting loose a burst of sparks as he flapped his wings on Su Yi's back, as if he wanted to take flight there and then.

"Though they have wings, they're still too young and can't fly yet," Su Yi said, lifting Dako down from his back as he fussed about.

"So cute," Sai Dou murmured, reaching out to stroke the feathers that had begun to grow on the Poison Bird's neck.

"Wah?" The little Poison Bird raised its head, swallowed the food on its tongue, and tilted its ugly-cute little head as its big eyes looked at Sai Dou in curiosity.

"Wah!" The little creature, seeing Sai Dou petting it, suddenly stuck out its tongue and licked her once, then went back to eating.

"Are you all right?" Su Yi asked at once, alarmed. The Poison Bird could use Tongue Lash, after all, and its mouth might contain venom.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Sai Dou said with a smile, continuing to pet the Poison Bird's head.

"What a little troublemaker." Su Yi tapped the Poison Bird on the head, and the little one lifted its face in obvious indignation.

"Roar, roar!" Dako stretched his wings in Su Yi's arms, flapping them mischievously as if mimicking flight, while calling out in quick bursts as though urging him on.

"All right, all right." Helpless, Su Yi picked up the now fairly hefty Dako and jogged around the training grounds, making whooshing sounds like the wind.

"Gwoo..." Dako happily spread its wings, calling out as it enjoyed the sensation of simulated flight.

Watching Su Yi toy with the child like an old father, his expression helpless yet unmistakably indulgent, Sai Dou couldn’t help but laugh. For the first time, she thought Su Yi had a cute side to him as well.

After Dako had had enough fun, he opened his mouth demanding food. Su Yi patiently mixed the prepared minced meat for a herbivorous dragon with Moomoo Milk and fed it to Dako.

Nearby, the Poison Bird finished its own meal and suddenly noticed the brightly colored dessert. Taking advantage of the moment when Su Yi and Sai Dou were not paying attention, it stretched out its tongue and rolled the treat into its mouth.

The sweet, soft dessert instantly ensnared the Poison Bird. With its appetite suddenly aroused, the little glutton greedily swept up the remaining dessert and tucked it into its throat pouch to savor slowly.

"Aah! The dessert...!" Sai Dou turned back only to find the sweet dish gone without a trace.

Looking at the Poison Bird guiltily tucking in the feathers around its neck, Su Yi slapped his forehead and said, "It's my fault. I underestimated the little one's appetite."