"Controlling mental power is actually much more difficult than you might think. Zhou Xiaofei's Power of the Bond allows him to communicate with Pokémon without any barriers. He can even communicate with wild Pokémon."
"That means he can open up an entirely separate mental pathway without relying on the bond between a Trainer and their Pokémon. It's simply unbelievable…"
Rock glanced at Diancie, who was staring intently at him.
"I'm not trying to belittle myself. My mental power is definitely much stronger than Zhou Xiaofei's. But I already tried it just now…"
"I can't establish that kind of connection with someone else's Pokémon."
Su Bai felt inexplicably relieved, but at the same time, his brows furrowed tightly.
As expected, the Power of the Bond was not something that could be awakened so easily.
If even someone with mental power as formidable as Rock's couldn't awaken the Power of the Bond, then the Contract Masters could forget about it altogether.
At first glance, the Power of the Bond didn't seem as overwhelmingly direct or powerful as Aura or psychic abilities.
But in reality, this kind of power was far more terrifying.
Pokémon were naturally simple-minded. One could even say that although most Pokémon possessed considerable intelligence, their hearts remained pure, almost like those of children.
And because of that, they were particularly vulnerable to people with ulterior motives.
Take that Sub-Beast, for example.
If it had possessed the Power of the Bond as well, Articuno probably wouldn't have regained its senses so easily.
Whatever grievances the Contract Masters might have had, Su Bai's impression of most of them still wasn't particularly good.
Those guys practically had "child trafficker" written all over their faces. They simply looked impossible to trust.
If Contract Masters really could all master the Power of the Bond, that would definitely not be good news for Pokémon.
The reason Su Bai had allowed Rock to try awakening the Power of the Bond was precisely because he wanted to observe what would happen.
If Rock really did awaken the Power of the Bond, Su Bai would probably try communicating with the system to see whether he could seal away this power as well, just like he had previously sealed the Contract Masters' contract exploit.
Still, no matter how he looked at it, Su Bai ultimately stood on the side of humanity.
If Pokémon couldn't bring about even the slightest change in the Contract Masters, that was not something Su Bai wanted to see either.
"So, you're saying that even though you're a Contract Master, obtaining a Pokémon isn't any different from what other Trainers do?"
Su Bai frowned.
"Then what about Contract Masters…? What happens to them? Are future Contract Masters still going to be forced to contract those dead beasts?"
Upon hearing Su Bai's words, Rock stared at him silently for a long while.
Then, all of a sudden, he burst out laughing.
Haunter, who had been flying circles around him, suddenly glanced at Rock.
Then it mischievously turned toward Su Bai and stuck out its tongue, making a silly face at him.
"Hm? What was that?"
Su Bai's expression shifted slightly.
"Haunter…?"
Although every Pokémon had its own personality, no matter how individualistic they were, they generally wouldn't do something this utterly ridiculous.
Rock chuckled.
"Although I couldn't establish a connection with other Pokémon, I can connect with my own Pokémon!"
He reached out and began playing with the mischievous Haunter.
Haunter kept trying to slap its palm against his hand like a child attempting to high-five someone, only to pass straight through his hand each time.
Rock explained, "Mental power isn't exclusive to Contract Masters. Mages, Songstresses, and even Enchanters rely heavily on mental power."
"But if we're talking about the sheer amount of mental power someone possesses, Contract Masters are definitely at the top."
"However, that actually isn't the foundation upon which Contract Masters survive…"
As the heir to the Rock family, Rock's understanding of every aspect of mental power had already reached its peak.
If there was anyone in the world who understood mental power better than most, Rock was undoubtedly one of them.
"The true foundation of a Contract Master lies in their control over mental power!"
"Perhaps from your perspective, contracting a death beast is nothing more than a simple ritual. You take a ritual dagger, stab it in, and the contract is complete."
"But in reality, the process is far more dangerous than you could ever imagine."
Rock continued playing with Haunter, his expression calm and composed.
Yet his words slowly unveiled one of the most painful and closely guarded secrets of the Contract Master profession since its very inception.
"The ritual dagger was invented by the First Rock. It was an instrument designed to break through the mental shell surrounding death beasts."
"But just because you can break through that shell…"
"Does that mean you can control what's inside?"
Rock posed a thought-provoking question.
Su Bai's heart stirred.
He had a vague idea of what Rock was about to say.
"Everyone knows that death beasts are creatures that will try to bite anyone who happens to pass by. They don't care about reason or logic in the slightest."
"A creature like that naturally possesses mental power that is extremely aggressive as well."
Rock fell silent for a moment before continuing.
"Physical battles with real weapons are certainly dangerous. But an invisible clash of mental power…"
"It's no less terrifying."
"When we break through a death beast's mental shell, the violent mental power inside immediately attacks our own mental power, just like its master would."
"So advancing as a Contract Master requires combat as well."
"Only this battle is even more dangerous."
As Rock explained, the mysterious profession of Contract Masters, a profession that the outside world knew so little about, was slowly being unveiled before Su Bai.
Once Rock had opened the floodgates, he no longer seemed inclined to stop.
After all, for a member of the Rock family, finding someone outside the Contract Master profession who was actually qualified to listen to him ramble about these things was probably quite rare.
"Just as professions have different ranks, mental power also has its own levels."
"If a Contract Master attempts to forcibly contract a death beast whose strength exceeds their own, without anyone there to protect them and without sufficient personal strength…"
Rock shook his head.
"The consequences of their mental power collapsing…"
"I don't need to explain them in detail, do I?"
Su Bai nodded.
Damage to one's mental power could lead to dementia in mild cases.
In severe cases, it could mean instant death.
He glanced at Haunter, then suddenly thought of something.
"Then those Contract Masters who successfully formed contracts…"
"Could it be that this is also the reason why they…"
Rock nodded.
There was a trace of sorrow in his voice.
"No matter what kind of person a Contract Master is at heart, whenever they subdue a death beast, they inevitably have to fight against that creature's mental power."
"The entanglement of mental power is far more terrifying than close-quarters combat."
"Through this process, Contract Masters plant a mental seed inside the death beast's mind. That seed becomes the means by which they control the death beast."
"But if a Contract Master can plant a seed…"
"Why couldn't the death beast do the same?"
"Even if death beasts don't possess a complete system and don't know how to make use of it…"
"During the battle…"
"The Contract Master has already been…"
"'Corrupted' by that violent mental power."
Rock's mood had clearly fallen.
Sensing his Trainer's emotions, Haunter finally stopped fooling around.
It quietly slipped into Rock's shadow.
Was this…
A form of comfort unique to Ghost-type Pokémon?
Su Bai sighed.
He finally understood, to some extent, why Rock had been so desperate to sneak away from Kyoto and come here.
The price of becoming a Contract Master really was too high.
Perhaps from the moment a Contract Master formed a contract with a death beast…
The person they once were had already disappeared.
"So even with the Rock family keeping them under control, Contract Masters still end up doing plenty of unreliable things."
Rock took a deep breath.
"That's also why Contract Masters have such a terrible reputation."
"But in reality, Contract Masters are no different from practitioners of other professions. We fight desperately for the survival of humanity."
"Whether it's courage or hard work, we don't have any less of either than anyone else."
"It's just that…"
"The very first step on the path of a Contract Master…"
"Is giving up a part of yourself."
Silence descended upon Su's Pet Shop.
Zhu Jianyuan gently placed a large hand on Rock's shoulder.
The middle-aged man sighed.
"If it weren't for you, I really would never have known that Contract Masters had it this rough…"
Rock nodded.
Then, suddenly, he smiled.
"However, although I didn't awaken the Power of the Bond…"
"I still found a way to solve the problem through Pokémon!"