After spending a night at the Pokémon Center in Whitestone, he was refreshed. His purse was fuller, he had rested well, and his Pokémon were in excellent condition.
In such high spirits, it was most suitable to visit someone… the priest[1]¹ of Slowpoke Temple!
This was also the main reason he had refused Sheila's offer to send him to Battle Park.
Since he knew that Will's Slowbro came from Slowpoke Temple, he naturally had to… investigate it. Even if he could not obtain anything, he needed a reason that would let him give up!
He urged his mount forward and headed straight for Slowpoke Temple…
---◓---
In just half a day, an ancient temple appeared in Tetsuya's line of sight.
The reason it was called Slowpoke Temple was because many Slowpoke had lived nearby since ancient times. Long ago, a priest attained enlightenment here together with a Slowpoke. Later, he established Slowpoke Temple here as a place for meditation and training. Although a long time had passed, many people still came here to meditate.
In front of Slowpoke Temple was a lake called Lake Slowpoke -also known as Lake Enlightenment-. The Water-type Pokémon within it were also raised by the temple.
Shellder were the most spiritual and most capable of sensing the psychological changes of humans and Pokémon. Only those without desire in their hearts could fish up a Shellder from Lake Slowpoke. That was something he had no possibility of achieving.
Upon entering the temple, the first thing that caught his eye was a golden Slowpoke statue, shining brilliantly and extremely magnificent.
It was said that the priest of this temple was very powerful, and each pupil also possessed considerable strength. Otherwise, with such a golden Slowpoke statue on display… it would have long been robbed and divided up!
Moreover, for this temple to have stood for a hundred years without falling, it must have something extraordinary.
At this moment, a young deacon walked out, saw Tetsuya, and shouted, "Sir, may I ask who you are!?"
"Hello, I would like to practice and meditate here for a day. May I?" Tetsuya asked "respectfully".
"The priest is currently leading the pupils in practice in the backyard. I will go ask on your behalf," the young deacon said.
Tetsuya very much wanted to see what kind of practice Slowpoke Temple conducted. However, if such a taboo matter were discovered by those in the temple, he would probably not even have the opportunity to practice for a single day. Helpless, he could only wait in place.
---◓---
After pacing around for a while, the young deacon ran back and said, "The priest invites you to come over!"
Tetsuya was surprised. To invite him over while they were practicing was quite generous.
Following the young deacon to the backyard, he saw more than a dozen deacons in a row commanding Slowpoke to use moves. A man who looked to be in his forties, with an air of… transcendence(?), had a Slowbro following behind him and was giving them guidance on their movements.
The young deacon quickly ran over and said, "Leader, the guest we mentioned has arrived."
The priest nodded and walked toward Tetsuya, saying, "Young sir, are you here to experience practice and meditation at this temple?"
"Yes," Tetsuya replied.
"Mmm. I will take you to the main hall."
The priest led Tetsuya to the main hall of Slowpoke Temple. The statue enshrined in the hall depicted a priest and a Slowpoke.
The priest first offered a stick of incense to the statue.
Then he said, "This is our founding master, who attained enlightenment through meditation here. Every year, many people come to our temple to practice. There is meditation, sweeping the floor, fishing, and more…
There are also deacons specifically responsible for guiding visitors in practice. If distracting thoughts arise during meditation, there will be certain punishments. However, the temple requires maintenance, and our ancestors require offerings, so incense money is indispensable…"
The priest pointed to the large box in front of the statue.
Tetsuya nodded. He had not expected that temples in this world were the same. No wonder they could cast such a huge golden Slowpoke statue… it was imaginable how terrifying the income of such a temple must be.
"Priest-san, I have a presumptuous request." At this moment, Tetsuya had already made up his mind.
"Oh? Please speak."
"I'm from Azalea Town in the Johto Region and I've always revered Slowpoke as a legend. So upon seeing such a temple… I wished to pay my respects!
I'm willing to donate five thousand in incense money and I hope you can guide me in paying respects to every Slowpoke in the temple."
Tetsuya said "devoutly". He deliberately claimed to be from Azalea Town to make this lie flawless, because in Azalea Town there was a legend that Slowpoke's Yawn would bring rainfall. It was said that four hundred years ago, after a Slowpoke yawned, a heavy rain ended Azalea Town's long drought. Since then, the people of Azalea Town had revered Slowpoke as a legend.
The priest was also pleasantly surprised. He had originally thought that this kid would donate at most five hundred Pokédollars. He had not expected him to offer five thousand at once and to make such a request. Since he was from Azalea Town, that explained it.
"Rest assured, our temple also reveres Slowpoke. Moreover, the founding priest's ancestral home was also Azalea Town, and that Slowpoke also came from Azalea Town. So I will certainly introduce every Slowpoke to you!" the priest said.
Afterward, Tetsuya took out five thousand in cash and placed it into the incense money box.
After the donation, the priest's attitude toward Tetsuya changed noticeably, and he smiled warmly. "Young benefactor-kun, please follow me~"
The priest first took Tetsuya to see the Slowpoke that the disciples were training. Tetsuya observed each Slowpoke very carefully. He could be certain that none of them was Will's.
Then, under the priest's guidance, Tetsuya arrived at a small swamp outside Slowpoke Temple. Around the swamp were many small wooden huts. Within the swamp, several Slowpoke were playing.
"This is where our temple specifically raises Slowpoke. Anyone who formally becomes ordained at this temple will receive a Slowpoke. If one is not a pupil of this temple, then one must purchase it. The selling price of one Slowpoke is thirty thousand Pokédollars."
After the priest spoke, Tetsuya could not help but take two sharp breaths. This was more than triple the market price. Was it not just relying on a gimmick? Was it necessary to overcharge so much? If not for that one Slowpoke, why would he have come to suffer this.
"…May I enter to take a look?" Tetsuya asked.
"Yes."
After the priest spoke, he called out. At this moment, a person dressed as a nun came out of the largest cabin in the center.
"This is Madeleine[2]², who is specially responsible for raising Slowpoke at our temple. She will now guide you into the swamp so that you may pay respects to your legend at close range."
After the priest finished speaking, he left. Madeleine led Tetsuya into the swamp. The small wooden huts distributed throughout the swamp served as temporary resting places for the Slowpoke. Inside were food and water for the Slowpoke to consume.
There were dozens of Slowpoke throughout the swamp, while the entire temple had only more than a dozen deacons, and they already each had a Slowpoke. It was evident how broad the sales of the temple's Slowpoke were…
Now, what Tetsuya needed to do was observe!
•.
•.
¹. Bulbapedia, Slowpoke Temple: "a 'priest' achieved enlightenment by meditating with a Slowpoke. The temple was built in his honor".
². Canon, EP244 "Enlighten Up!"
[1] Bulbapedia, Slowpoke Temple: "a 'priest' achieved enlightenment by meditating with a Slowpoke. The temple was built in his honor".
[2] Canon, EP244 "Enlighten Up!"