"How about it, they're strong, aren't they?" Julian pointed at Zekrom and Reshiram.
Pawniard nodded blankly. If just a hint of their aura could kill it, that definitely meant they were powerful. It had a feeling that even its father might not withstand their aura.
"Do you know whose Pokémon they are?" Julian asked.
Pawniard pointed at Julian.
At this moment, it didn't even realize it could move again.
"Smart," Julian nodded.
Then he continued, "They're my Pokémon, and so are Metagross and the others. So, what lesson can you draw from this?"
Pawniard: 'Is this a riddle?'
Luckily, Pawniard wasn't a fool. It looked at Julian and stammered, "You... made them strong?"
"Hahaha, congratulations, you got it right!" Julian patted Pawniard's head. It felt cool and hard, like touching a steel helmet.
"So, do you know what you should do now?"
"What should I do?"
Pawniard seemed to be a bit slow at this critical moment.
But Julian didn't beat around the bush. "Become my Pokémon. I'll make you strong—very strong."
"Can I defeat my father?"
"Absolutely. By then, not only will you defeat your father, but if you work hard enough, you might even defeat them too." Julian pointed at Moltres, Gengar, and Metagross.
The three Pokémon silently agreed to give Julian face for now, since he was their trainer, and not expose his bluff. 'However, little guy, if you take his words seriously, you'll only end up hurting yourself.'
'In the future, you might have a chance to defeat the other two, but defeating me? Don't even think about it,' Metagross thought to itself.
Gengar: 'You might be able to beat that stupid bird, but defeating me and Big Bro? Dream on.'
Moltres: 'You might stand a chance against that ghost, but defeating me? I'll melt you if you dare try.'
Julian admired Pawniard's indomitable spirit and its terrifying willpower.
It wasn't that his other Pokémon lacked willpower, but after joining him, they had everything handed to them—the best food and care, with their strength growing even without effort.
A life of luxury often wore down willpower.
This couldn't really be blamed on them, nor could it be blamed on Julian.
After all, if one had the means, why make their Pokémon suffer? Training until exhaustion and risking life and limb in battles to gain strength—that was the path for ordinary trainers.
Julian started out on the high-end, resource-heavy path from the very beginning.
Weak willpower?
That also depended on the situation. In a true life-or-death crisis, each one of them would willingly die for Julian.
"Well, do you agree?"
Pawniard fell silent. Although this human's words seemed reasonable, the idea of becoming his Pokémon felt unfamiliar.
But if it wanted to defeat its father, relying on itself alone was impossible—it needed help.
Thinking of its clanmates' mockery and its siblings' disdain, Pawniard nodded firmly.
"You'll be glad you made this choice in the future."
Julian took out a Poké Ball and captured it.
---
Pokémon: Pawniard (Dark/Steel)
Level: 30
Potential: Green
Ability: Defiant
Held Item: None
Gender: Male
Moves: Scratch, Leer, Fury Cutter, Metal Claw, Torment, Scary Face, Assurance, Metal Sound
TMs: None
Egg Moves: Headbutt, Sucker Punch
Note: Premature birth; insufficient innate Dark and Steel energy. Dark- and Steel-type treasures can replenish its deficiencies.
---
Having grown used to his own Pokémon's luxurious stats, Julian actually felt a bit unaccustomed to Pawniard's humble attributes.
Especially in the Potential category—its father, Kingambit, was a Champion-level Pokémon with Purple-grade potential. Yet as its offspring, Pawniard's potential was only Green-grade, not even Cyan.
But after reading the note at the end, Julian understood why its potential was Green.
So, it was born prematurely.
Humans had premature babies too, many of whom suffered from developmental issues due to incomplete growth in the womb.
The same applied to Pokémon.
As a premature baby in a secret realm lacking even basic medical conditions, the fact that it survived and grew to this point could only mean its vitality was exceptionally strong.
Perhaps it was because of its premature birth that its strength, potential, and even its size were so lacking.
A normal Pawniard stood about half a meter tall, but this one, already at Level 30, was only 30 centimeters.
Julian released Pawniard from its Poké Ball and took out some Dark and Steel-type treasures.
These treasures were items he had found before but had no use for. Now, they were perfect for Pawniard.
"Eat up. These are all for you."
Seeing Pawniard staring blankly at him, Julian smiled.
Pawniard couldn't believe it—these treasures were really meant for it?
But what about the others?
"They don't need them," Julian said rather tactfully. It wouldn't do to say that Metagross and the others looked down on these; they found them too bothersome even as snacks.
"You eat first. I have something to take care of and need to leave for a bit."
Julian glanced at Pawniard, and then Metagross teleported him away.
This startled Pawniard, making it think Julian had abandoned it. But when it saw Steelix, Arcanine, and the others still there, it relaxed a bit.
It looked somewhat awkwardly at Arcanine and the rest. Now, they were partners.
"Slow~"
Slowking walked over to Pawniard and handed it a bag of walnuts.
Slowking was quite pleased with this new partner. After all, Pawniard's body structure made it an ideal kitchen assistant—and even more so when it evolved.
"Slow~"
Slowking: "Kartana, when you have time, teach it how to chop vegetables."
Meanwhile, Metagross and Julian had already teleported three kilometers away.
Kingambit immediately raised its arm in alert upon seeing Julian and Metagross appear before it.
"It seems you still care about Pawniard," Julian said, looking at Kingambit.
This place was not Kingambit's territory, so it must have followed Pawniard all the way here.
On second thought, given Pawniard's strength, how could it have reached Julian safely without running into trouble with other Pokémon? It would have been injured or killed long ago.
"Weren't you afraid I would just kill it?" Julian asked curiously.
Kingambit shook its head. "You're a good person."
'Damnit, why is this guy suddenly handing me a good guy card?'
But come to think of it, since Julian started his journey, he had never killed a wild Pokémon without reason. Of course, he had killed Pokémon—quite a few, in fact—but they all belonged to hostile trainers.
As for wild Pokémon, he hadn't even crushed a Caterpie underfoot.
"My child is in your hands now. Please give this to it."
*****
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