As a formal new member, and with control over everyone's meals, often making particularly delicious food, Galarian Meowth's arrival was extremely well-received. It could even be said that it was welcomed with open arms.
Li Xiang was among those welcoming it.
The adoption process wasn't too complicated. Thanks to Zhong Hai's connections, Li Xiang easily made Galarian Meowth his own Pokémon.
The person handling the paperwork for him was a fellow member of the Li family, named Li Mingxuan.
Li Xiang remembered that he was one of the reasons behind the chaos in the Mist City's Pokémon organizations.
But this person was unexpectedly kind-hearted, no different from the breeders Li Xiang had met at the Qingcheng Conservation Base.
He was polite and patient.
Upon learning that Li Xiang's mother also worked at a conservation base, he became even more friendly.
Li Xiang wasn't sure if he knew about Incineroar and the others' backgrounds.
If he did, would his expression change?
After the adoption, training Galarian Meowth for battles had to be put on the schedule.
There was no rush. Li Xiang didn't have that much time to devote to another one anyway.
But he still needed to figure out what it could do and what it was capable of.
So he set aside an hour to run some simple tests.
....
[Species: Galarian Meowth / Gender: Male / Level: 34]
[Ability: Unnerve / Type: Steel / Height: 37 cm]
[Moves: Fake Out / Growl / Hone Claws / Scratch / Pay Day / Metal Claw / Double-Edge / Taunt / Swagger / Fury Swipes / Thunder / Thunderbolt / Shadow Claw / Gyro Ball / Night Slash]
....
It didn't know many moves. Considering it wasn't a frequent battler and spent more time cooking than fighting, that was understandable.
But its level was what truly surprised Li Xiang.
Galarian Meowth's evolution range was between levels 25 and 31. Its level had clearly exceeded that.
Why hadn't it evolved?
Was it a problem child, like Riolu?
Galarian Meowth could explain that itself—it simply didn't want to evolve.
Why?
Because it treated the evolution process as a way to practice focus.
As everyone knew, forcibly stopping evolution was a painful experience. It required maintaining intense concentration. If you let up even a little, you wouldn't be able to stop it.
Galarian Meowth believed this was a good way to restore its attention.
As for whether evolving would actually help it concentrate better, there was no precedent, so it didn't hold out hope.
Level 34 meant it had held back for at least three levels, or possibly even nine. Li Xiang didn't know what to say.
This cat was truly stubborn and single-minded.
Additionally, regarding its lightning abilities, Li Xiang was truly amazed. He had never seen such a unique case before.
Its attacks weren't limited by its Special Attack stat, almost like something out of the anime, where physical and special distinctions didn't matter.
And its attack style was somewhat similar to Chidori, though Chidori was a knife-hand strike, while it was still a lightning bolt.
Visually, it looked more like a thunder god, with electricity sparking from its eyes.
When asked about the details of the day it was struck by lightning, Galarian Meowth said it couldn't remember, as its memories were fragmented and incomplete. It had already said everything it could.
Li Xiang had to use his imagination and concluded that it was likely related to Raikou.
That seemed the most plausible.
However, due to its physical condition, its performance and responsiveness in daily practice and following commands were quite poor.
It might have decent combat ability, passable for its level, but a Pokémon that doesn't follow commands is useless to a trainer, no matter how strong it is.
There was no helping it. Li Xiang never blamed Galarian Meowth; he was just trying to find a solution.
Currently, due to preparations for the Summer Tournament, he didn't have much time to take Galarian Meowth around seeking medical treatment.
He could only use the school's connections to get it checked out within the Mist City area.
The Three-Blind Perception Method was certainly something it needed to practice. It had only benefits and no drawbacks. The only catch was that it required achieving a certain level of mastery to see results, or rather, results only came after achieving mastery.
Unfortunately, even the Three-Blind Perception Method had a high barrier for Galarian Meowth.
After all, the key to that technique was concentrating, letting go of physical constraints, and perceiving the surroundings on a spiritual level.
They would just have to take it step by step. It wasn't like Li Xiang was counting on it to compete in the Summer Tournament anyway.
The results of the examination matched Li Xiang's suspicions. Galarian Meowth was suffering from a condition related to its brain.
Something similar to Attention Deficit Disorder, also known as... ADHD in children.
This condition didn't mean it couldn't concentrate at all, but rather that it couldn't control when and where it focused.
In some ways, when a patient did focus, they could be even more intense than an ordinary person.
However, the key issue was the lack of control.
Ultimately, this condition was caused by the underdevelopment of the cerebellum and its failure to function properly.
For humans, treatment wasn't particularly difficult, just very time-consuming. It required long-term medication and extensive conscious training.
But Galarian Meowth was different. Its condition was only similar to ADHD, not an exact match, and it was much more severe.
At the very least, ADHD didn't cause fragmented memories. Plus, it couldn't take human medication.
Yes, there were things Pokémon couldn't consume. That surprised Li Xiang a bit.
He also realized why this easily diagnosable condition had left the conservation base "helpless" and forced them to rely on indirect methods of treatment.
Human understanding of Pokémon was clearly still lacking.
Fortunately, even if the hospital couldn't help, Li Xiang could still turn to the Pokémon Research Institute. Zhu Xia's institutes weren't like those in North America, which enjoyed playing god and creating Pokémon, but they were no less dedicated to using Pokémon to benefit humanity.
So there was still hope for Galarian Meowth.
Incineroar and the other Pokémon were very considerate of it, always giving it some leeway.
Incidentally, Galarian Meowth slept in the corner of Li Xiang's bedroom, on a bed specially designed for feline and canine Pokémon.
Unexpectedly, it was a very quiet creature, whether awake or asleep.
Unlike Incineroar when it was little, which would somehow end up sleeping on his face and occasionally step on his forehead.
The only thing was, when Li Xiang woke up in the middle of the night, he might see two eyes shining like searchlights, even brighter than the single eye that Aegislash deliberately lit up.
This creature slept with its eyes open.
Are you Zhang Fei or something!?
After being startled several times, Li Xiang gradually got used to it.
One day, after a sparring session, Li Xiang was stopped by Su Qian and Chao.
Having both the captain and vice-captain call out to one person was rare, attracting the attention of many team members.
But the three of them deliberately avoided prying eyes, so the others couldn't eavesdrop and could only speculate curiously about the reason.
And the reason was something Li Xiang hadn't expected.
"Lend me your Key Stone?"
He widened his eyes, looking at Chao as he nodded slightly.
When he had received the Metagrossite, he had also thought about borrowing a Key Stone for Mega Evolution. But since that wasn't something he could casually ask for—it was almost like asking to borrow someone's wife—he had given up on the idea.
He never expected Chao to be the one to bring it up first.
"Senior Chao... how did you know I had a Mega Stone?"
Li Xiang was puzzled. He had never told anyone about it, not even Song Jie.
"I heard it from you-know-who," Su Qian said with a smile. "Bai Jie told me."
...So the provider herself was the one who leaked it?
Principal Bai, aren't you afraid Su Qian might get jealous?
Li Xiang was a bit speechless. He was a newcomer who had barely played in the Spring Tournament and had contributed nothing significant.
Yet he was getting a Mega Stone before the captain, who had led the team through tournaments and achieved excellent results.
If she didn't know, fine, but if she did, who would be happy about it?
What were you thinking?
Li Xiang simply couldn't understand Bai Wanhua's logic.
On the other hand, he also didn't understand why Su Qian had told Chao. She wasn't the type to gossip.
After some thought, the only reason Su Qian would tell Chao was to prompt him to lend his Key Stone to Li Xiang.
"Actually, you don't have to—"
Li Xiang felt a bit awkward.
"It's my own decision, and I was the one who suggested it."
Chao interrupted Li Xiang, saying, "You don't need to feel any burden. It's just a loan. Besides... we need you to be able to Mega Evolve."
At those words, Li Xiang understood Su Xi and Chao's intentions.
This year, they were determined to make it to the global level, and they were willing to gather all available resources to do so.
Li Xiang having Metagrossite meant he had the potential for Mega Evolution.
If he could pull it off, their chances of advancing would increase.
After all, a Key Stone wasn't like a magical artifact in a cultivation novel that required being bound to its owner before it could be used.
As long as the Key Stone, Mega Stone, and Pokémon were compatible, anyone could use them.
"It might not make it in time for the Summer Tournament, but it could for the Autumn Tournament. You learn fast, so mastering Mega Evolution shouldn't be too difficult."
Su Qian said seriously.
She really wanted to go to the global level. Chao felt the same. For that goal, they were willing to give whatever they could.
After all, Li Xiang was only borrowing it, not keeping it.
Besides, Chao was willing to lend his Key Stone to Li Xiang because he trusted his character and believed he wouldn't do anything improper.
"Take it. Since there's still time, we'd also like to see a Mega Evolved shiny Metagross."
The senior, a descendant of the Water People, placed the wristband containing the transparent Key Stone into Li Xiang's hand.
Unlike the translucent Mega Stone, the Key Stone was fully colored, with a leaf-like black wisp inside resembling a genetic chain.
The Key Stone was small, about the size of a thumb pad, but it had substantial weight.
It carried weight in every sense.
"...Thank you."
Li Xiang sensed the trust Chao had placed in him and the determination to reach the global level—a weight even heavier than the power of Mega Evolution.
Since they had offered it willingly, refusing now would seem ungrateful.
He decisively accepted the Key Stone.
In such a public place, it wouldn't be wise to reveal it casually. Besides, a Mega Evolved Metagross might not be as obedient as Chao's Scizor.
The three of them headed to the training hall together, where there were dedicated training rooms sturdy enough to withstand the abuse.