The Pokémon whose large head was being gripped by Miraidon was a completely new species.
Silas swore on his human Pokédex form that the League absolutely had no record of it.
Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be modeled after a squid. Unlike Malamar or Grapploct, its head was extraordinarily large, while its body was thin like a bamboo pole. At a single glance, it was obvious that it possessed Psychic typing.
It looked almost like an alien. Bright lights shimmered across its body, and its overall appearance gave off a uniquely strange and eerie feeling.
"Mal!"
The squid Pokémon twisted its body, trying to break free from Miraidon's grip, while releasing dazzling, hypnotic flashes of light to interfere.
Unfortunately, those tricks had no effect on Miraidon, who came from the future.
When it met Miraidon's mechanical, emotionless electronic eyes, it no longer dared to struggle. It sensed a special kind of oppressive pressure.
Its body and tentacles curled inward as it displayed submission, signaling that it meant no harm.
"Miraidon, take it back first."
The round trip took less than a minute. Miraidon returned and tossed its captured prey onto the beach.
By this time, the battle on this side had already ended.
The Pokémon from the ranch had all rushed over to help.
The squid Pokémon had just climbed to its feet when it was met with a series of furious faces.
"NOI!" ×3
The Noiverns fixed their ferocious gazes on it, clearly ready to attack at the slightest movement.
The squid shrank its head back. Three overwhelming draconic pressures bore down on it, and its body began trembling uncontrollably.
In the next instant, a glassy bead rolled off its quivering body. Bathed in a flash of light, it reverted to its normal form.
"BOOM!"
At the same moment, three Boombursts blasted in from three directions, knocking Malamar flat onto the sand.
After confirming that the controlled wild Pokémon had returned to normal, Silas had Meganium use Heal Pulse to provide simple treatment before sending them off.
Just as he was preparing to interrogate the squid, his head buzzed.
Where did my huge new Pokémon go?
How did it suddenly turn into Malamar?
His gaze shifted sideways toward the three Noiverns. One of them spat out an oval-shaped bead from its mouth.
Silas showed a look of disgust. He wiped off the saliva using Mudsdale before finally holding it in his palm.
[Malamarite Mega Stone: A mysterious stone. When held by Malamar, it allows it to Mega Evolve during battle.]
"Noi! Noi!"
The Noiverns took turns explaining. Gradually, Silas understood.
Alright then. His excitement had been for nothing.
He had thought he had discovered a brand-new Pokémon. He had even been considering what to name it.
He was going to call it: Super Villain Evil Sparkly Big-Head Alien Squid.
Creative, right?
But now…
He poked the Malamar, which was pretending to be dead, with a stick. No matter what Silas did, Malamar lay plastered against the sand, adopting a "Do whatever you want with me" attitude of complete resignation.
At worst, at absolute worst, it would just get covered in turtle drawings again. It was not afraid.
"Oh? Still this stubborn even after being caught? I absolutely must punish you properly."
He called over Cyclizar, lifted Jigglypuff off its back, and whispered a few words into its ear.
Then he had Noivern grab Malamar and toss it over to the Heliolisks to watch over it. The Heliolisks had already put on headphones in advance.
"Jiggly!" Jigglypuff floated over, tapped the microphone to test the sound, and reminded the Heliolisks to be prepared.
It was about to start singing.
Jigglypuff's song echoed in the distance, occasionally stopping before resuming again.
The interruptions happened because Malamar would fall asleep from the singing. After Jigglypuff finished drawing turtles all over it, the Heliolisks would shock Malamar awake.
Sing, draw turtles, electrocute squid. Over and over again.
A cycle of torment.
Let Malamar enjoy that for a while.
Silas walked over to Meganium and asked, "How is Veluza doing?"
"Meganium!"
"Veluza is fine. Indeedee is helping take care of it. Silas does not need to worry too much."
After speaking, Meganium lowered its head and gently licked him with its soft pink tongue.
"As long as it is fine. You have worked hard today."
There were still many Pokémon on the shallows who had temporarily lost the ability to move. Meganium had plenty to do.
Meganium smiled gently, indicating that this was simply its duty.
Not wanting to disturb it further, Silas walked forward.
He soon spotted his own shiny Clauncher. It stood out conspicuously among a large group of blue-shelled Clauncher.
This group had originally been his Clauncher's tribe. They lived near Azure Bay, so it was only natural that they had been controlled by Mega Malamar.
He saw the Clauncher communicating for quite some time before finally bidding farewell to the shiny Clauncher one by one and diving back into the sea.
Only then did Silas step forward and wave.
Clauncher raised its red claw and slowly crawled toward him. It was moving so slowly that Silas simply walked over and picked it up.
"What did they say to you? If they bullied you, you have to tell me."
Silas had not forgotten how small and thin Clauncher had looked when they first met.
"Cher!"
Clauncher pushed up its glasses and shook its head. It was strong now. It would not be bullied anymore.
"Yes, yes. Clauncher has become super strong. We really relied on you just now."
During the earlier battle against the Pokémon horde, Clauncher's precise point-target eliminations had secured quite a few finishing blows.
Clauncher proudly waved its claw. It was especially happy to be able to protect Silas.
"Cher~"
"Alright then. From now on, Clauncher will be responsible for protecting me."
Smiling, Silas gently bumped his fist against its claw.
Upon receiving its trainer's recognition, Clauncher happily narrowed its eyes. A white light enveloped its body from within.
Moments later, a red lobster more than three times its original height appeared before Silas.
The large lobster let out a deeper, more mature cry and raised its right claw, which was even larger than its own body.
"Claw!"
"You evolved so quickly. Looks like you secured quite a few takedowns today."
Clauncher's evolution seemed only natural. Thinking back to the expression on Heliolisk's face earlier, it made perfect sense.
Clawitzer's main body was not particularly large. In battle, when it curled up slightly, it appeared even smaller.
Its body was primarily light red, covered with blue circular patterns that gave it a metallic and technological aesthetic.
Its most striking feature was its gigantic right claw, resembling both a dragon's head and a massive cannon.
It was more than twice the size of its body, predominantly deep red in color. Its white whiskers had shifted onto the massive claw, allowing Clawitzer to lock onto prey more effectively.
Silas tapped the large claw lightly with his hand. It produced a sound similar to metal. The texture felt excellent.
He could already imagine Clawitzer hiding in a corner underwater, using its "heavy sniper" to attack opponents.
That was right.
A sniper as powerful as a cannon.
"Congratulations, Clawitzer." Silas patted the massive claw and fitted it with a Wide Lens.
Suddenly, a sharp meow sounded beside him.
He turned to see Litten rushing over at full speed, circling Clawitzer anxiously.
"Meow… meow meow meow!"
Litten seemed to be lodging a complaint. Clawitzer had evolved, so what about their training plans? It wanted to grow stronger too.
Litten regretted it deeply. If it had not left earlier, perhaps it could have evolved as well.
The kitty regretted it to death.
(End of Chapter)