Chapter 133: Lorze’s Mouth, a Lying Ghost
Under Lorze's lead, everyone began "cuddling" with their own Pokémon.
Even though they didn't think hugging would actually train anything, a hug wasn't exactly difficult, so they decided to give it a try.
At the very least, it was no trouble for Hu Wenjun and her Ariados; their relationship had always been great.
As a girl who thought spiders were adorable, Hu Wenjun frequently slept with her giant spider anyway, so a simple hug was just part of her daily routine~.
Xue Yi was even less of an issue; whether it was Eevee or the Alolan Vulpix, both Pokémon were excessively cute.
Even if Lorze hadn't suggested it, she would have been holding them all day regardless.
When the Alolan Vulpix appeared before the group, it caused quite a stir—the girls were absolutely obsessed with this uniquely colored Vulpix.
It wasn't until Xue Yi explained it that everyone realized with shock that this wasn't just a "Shiny," but a regional variant with a different Type!
This level of rarity left them burning with envy for a good while.
The girls liked this Alolan Vulpix more the longer they looked at it, and they scrambled to be the next one to hold it.
On the other hand, the previously popular Eevee was suddenly left in the cold—is this what they call an "outdated Pokémon"?
Eevee felt the tears coming...
However, it still had the Umbreon form to look forward to.
It just hoped it would evolve into something cool and handsome, and definitely not something prickly like Jolteon, or it might truly lose its "favorite" status!
...
As for Lorze, he realized that ever since Mawile joined him, he hadn't actually spent much time seriously training with her.
He usually left Kirlia in charge of her development—who was the Trainer here, anyway?
Lorze decided to seize this opportunity to lead Mawile through a proper training session.
He first assigned Kirlia the ongoing task of researching Life Energy and True Qi, and then used Telepathic Resonance to help Mawile activate her first wisp of True Qi.
Since Mawile was Lorze's partner, their mental connection was already deep.
Coupled with Lorze's mastery of the activation process, it took only thirty minutes to successfully awaken her True Qi and teach her Focus Punch.
Although the cluster of Qi was still weak, it had reached a level where it could be considered functional.
"Maw! Maw-ile! (Master, look! I learned it!)"
Mawile happily displayed her results, looking exactly like a child desperate for praise.
"Not bad talent. I expect you'll be able to use it proficiently in no time."
Lorze rubbed her small head to encourage her.
"Maw! (I'll work hard!)"
Mawile immediately dove into her Master's arms for a happy cuddle.
"Keep working hard. Once you've mastered the Copycat move, I might even be able to help you achieve your dream of evolving."
Lorze began painting another "Big Cake" (false promise/goal)—he was, of course, referring to Mega Evolution.
Lorze hadn't rushed to Mega Evolve Mawile after returning home.
Mega Evolution wasn't something achieved just by possessing a Key Stone and a Mega Stone; it required a high level of Friendship and bond, or the evolution would fail.
He had only been Mawile's trainer for a short time; their bond and synergy still needed significant improvement.
It was better to use Mega Evolution as a reward to boost Mawile's enthusiasm for training—a win-win situation.
"Maw? (Can I really still evolve?)"
Hearing that she could still evolve, Mawile's eyes instantly filled with intense longing.
You have to remember that during her three years in the breeding center, she was overlooked precisely because she couldn't evolve.
Many people would rather buy a Beedrill than her because her potential was seen as "dead on arrival."
Therefore, Mawile had always craved evolution and strength. Even now that she had a Master, that desire hadn't faded.
She wanted to prove herself. She wanted to prove she wasn't weaker than a Beedrill—her potential just hadn't been unlocked yet. Her Master's choice had to be right!
"Don't worry. If I say you can evolve, then you can. Don't you trust me?" Lorze comforted her.
"Maw! (I trust you! I trust you most!)"
Mawile snuggled against him affectionately, while vowing in her heart to master Copycat and complete the evolution with her Master!
She had already learned the basics of "Strength Exertion" and Focus Punch; she wasn't far from meeting her Master's expectations.
"It's done? Why didn't we feel anything?"
Nearby, Shi Fan and the others, who were also "cuddling" their Pokémon, were dumbfounded after seeing Mawile master Focus Punch just like that.
That was Focus Punch!
150 Base Power!
And you two just learned it as if it were a joke?
No way... was "cuddling" actually effective, and they were just doing it wrong?
"Duh. It would be a miracle if you felt anything doing it that way. I told you to cuddle, and you guys literally just sat there hugging. What's the point of a purely physical hug?"
Lorze rolled his eyes at them.
I told you to find a way to deepen your bond, not to sit there pressed against each other looking like you've lost the will to live.
If you can deepen a bond like that, I'll do a livestream of me washing my hair while doing a handstand!
"But isn't that exactly what you're doing? We were clearly imitating you," Shi Fan argued.
"Please. 'Cuddling' is just a figure of speech. My point was for you to connect your emotions and stimulate Emotional Energy, not to physically stick to each other."
Lorze's face went dark.
"Then why didn't you explain it clearly? Who could possibly understand that?"
Shi Fan's face was even darker. Does this mean I spent half the day hugging a male frog for nothing?
"Fine, fine. I didn't realize your emotional intelligence was this low. It seems this method isn't for you. I'll change your training objective. Tang Ming, step forward!"
Lorze glanced at Tang Ming, who was still hugging his Quilava, and told him to stop.
If you love mice that much, go browse B-station.
"What do you want me to do?" Tang Ming asked, confused.
"It's simple. I believe 'Impact Resistance' is a vital metric for a Pokémon's strength. My Mawile just mastered Focus Punch and needs a target to test her damage. Why not let your Quilava be her sandbag? You get to train your resistance, and I get to train a new move. A total 'one stone, two birds' deal. What do you think?"
Lorze laid out his "brilliant" idea.
"You're just looking for a sucker! Why don't you let your Kirlia train her 'Impact Resistance' instead?!"
Tang Ming's face turned black. Does this sound like something a human would say?
"Who said my Kirlia doesn't train her 'Anti-Cock/Impact' resistance? That's her primary training mission every single night!"
Lorze retorted.
Kirlia was incredibly diligent with her "Anti-Cock" training every night; she was even training the deepest parts of her "small stream." Who could be more hardworking than her?
"Only an idiot would believe you."
Tang Ming curled his lip, refusing to let his partner be a punching bag for Mawile.
"And what if I told you... I actually want to help you train your Quilava's Blaze Ability?"
Lorze pivoted, changing his pitch.
"Blaze needs help? It triggers naturally when health drops to a certain point," Tang Ming countered, not falling for it.
"Who told you Blaze can ONLY trigger at low health? I can tell you right now, the true principle of Blaze is 'Explosive Potential.' There's no reason potential must wait for a near-death state to erupt. Are you one of those 'No Low-HP, No Play' types?"
"Are you serious? I've never seen a Blaze trigger at full health. That's literal hacking."
"Has my Kirlia not 'hacked' enough for you? If you want the 'Cheat Codes,' follow my lead. Did you forget that I'm the one researching all the entries on the Pokédex app? Do you think you know Abilities better than me?"
"But all I see is you tricking my Quilava into being a punching bag!"
"Sigh. If that's what you think, I can't help you. If I just wanted a sandbag, wouldn't it be easier to find a sparring partner at a Gym?"
"Is it possible you're just too lazy to walk those few steps?"
"Well, that's true... but mostly, I just can't bear to see your Quilava's talent go to waste. Your partner is special. Its Blaze reminds me of a certain 'Master Brother' (Infernape) I once knew. If you can develop it, Shi Fan won't even be a challenge for you."
Lorze bullshitted with a straight face.
But it wasn't entirely bullshit.
Ash's Infernape had a very special Blaze that could trigger regardless of HP limits in a crisis.
If Tang Ming could master that trick, even if he didn't reach Ash's level, he'd at least stop being a liability when they went to kick the doors of Shanghai University High~.
Shi Fan: "..."
Tang Ming: "..."
Believe it or not, Tang Ming actually felt a surge of interest.
He didn't plan on taking it seriously at first, but hearing that he could surpass Shi Fan made his heart skip a beat.
He was desperate for power; if he didn't improve, his school ranking was going to drop to 4th.
The chance to beat Shi Fan was too tempting to ignore.
Fine... Quilava did show a very strange Blaze before. To research it, the only current way is to take damage. And if I'm going to be hit anyway, I might as well have a Genius Researcher study it for me.
Thinking this, he was actually convinced by Lorze's "Lying Ghost" tongue...