"Congratulations. Your Vigoroth evolved successfully."
Officer Jenny came strolling over to offer it.
"Ha ha. Thank you."
Vance looked round, saw that it was Officer Jenny, and answered politely.
"It's quite normal for a Slaking to turn slack after evolving. They aren't as lively or as full of energy as a Vigoroth."
Officer Jenny added it, looking at the Slaking lying on the ground.
The Slaking switched his Ability at once, climbed up off the ground, took on a look of complete alertness and called out with a huffing noise.
The upright bearing, and the terrible presence drawn but not loosed, made the Arcanine at Officer Jenny's feet feel the pressure of it, as though this Slaking, only just evolved and only just through to Elite-class, could pose a threat to it.
This had to be a joke. The Arcanine shook its head and looked the Slaking over again — and still felt the threat coming off him.
"Hm—"
The Arcanine's behaviour caught Officer Jenny's attention, and she made the sound out of some curiosity. Her partner usually only acted that way when it had met an opponent on its own level.
And this Slaking had only just evolved, and only just entered the Elite tier.
"Perhaps my Slaking is a little out of the ordinary, because of the Moon Stone."
Vance put it in, steering the matter that way.
Don't ask; and if you ask, it was the power of the giant Moon Stone.
When the Slaking came to compete in public later on, there would be a passable explanation ready. Whether anyone believed it was not Vance's concern; that was what he had said, and they could believe it or not as they liked.
"That is possible, I suppose."
Officer Jenny rubbed her chin, thinking it over.
"Ha ha. Officer Jenny, who is this young man? Would you introduce us?"
Ives had come over as well and said it in a carrying voice; plainly he and Officer Jenny were acquainted.
"Vance."
Vance shook his hand and introduced himself.
"Ha ha ha. My name is Ives. I'm with the investigators' organisation in Pewter City at present — if you ever run into trouble, you're welcome to come and tell me about it."
"Yes, of course."
Vance answered politely, and he knew perfectly well why the man was being so warm about it.
It was simply that he had shown enough potential to be worth knowing. Nothing but ordinary human nature.
Several of the Trainers there came over as well, introducing themselves, putting a face to a name.
Vance met them all with a smile. That was how these things worked, and one never knew when it might come in useful.
His Pokémon had all improved for coming here today, and Vance was in a very good mood, smiling the whole evening.
In a large building on Mt. Moon, built against the slope, Vance, done with the courtesies, went back to a single room.
It was the temporary lodging Dr. Renn had arranged.
"Let's see what the reward for this Elite-class mission is."
Vance said it in anticipation, and opened up the system's mission reward.
"Ding. Congratulations. Novice Viridian Power obtained!"
"The Viridian Power. Doesn't that mean I'll have command of two kinds of power?"
Finding that the mission reward was the Viridian Power, Vance was rather taken aback.
The Viridian Power is extremely hard to come by. It is said to come as a blessing from Viridian Forest, and it carries the ability to share thoughts with Pokémon, to heal them, to strengthen them temporarily and to raise their potential; out in the wild, Pokémon feel a natural closeness to anyone who holds it, and show him goodwill.
As a power it gives away nothing to psychic power or Aura or the rest of them, and it is extremely strong in support.
"So this is the Viridian Power."
Vance raised one hand, and a ball of green light drifted in it, thick with the force of life.
*I remember the Boss, Giovanni, having the Viridian Power too, and his command of it must be past anyone's reckoning by now. That Beedrill of his, with the record it has — that must have something to do with the Viridian Power as well.*
Vance narrowed his eyes, thinking it over.
Coming into the Viridian Power tonight was an unlooked-for piece of luck, and it would do the Aerodactyl and the others no small amount of good in the future.
He would be able to heal his Pokémon's injuries, for one thing, and at some point in a battle call up the Viridian Power to strengthen them and leave an opponent unable to cope.
"A Beedrill, is it. My Slaking isn't bad either, and the Combusken and the rest have plenty of potential ahead of them."
Vance touched the Poké Balls on his belt, looking forward to it.
He could not help imagining it: some day, raised by him, the Slaking would blow a Legendary Pokémon apart with one punch. The thought of it... that really would be something.
"Tomorrow I can try out what the Slaking and the rest can do in a fight. Sitting idle won't do. I don't know how far the Slaking can go now that he's evolved, but going by the way that level 51 Arcanine behaved, it shouldn't be too bad."
"Ha ha. That's settled, then. Tomorrow I'll wander about out in the field and fight a few battles, and I'll know."
Having made up his mind, Vance fell asleep.
The next day Vance declined several invitations, and turned down a few Trainers who asked him to travel with them, and set out on the road again alone.
"Aerodactyl, I'm counting on you. Fly this way."
Vance sent out the Aerodactyl, stood on its back and pointed in a direction as he said it.
"Roar, roar—"
The Aerodactyl beat its wings, rose into the sky and flew the way Vance had pointed.
Riding the Aerodactyl saved both time and effort. He had been making his own slow way before because he wanted to taste something of the pleasure of travelling; there was no need for that now, and he could simply let the Aerodactyl carry him.
The Aerodactyl was not the only one on the team that could fly: the Slaking could too, and could carry a passenger besides.
He simply was not the Aerodactyl's equal at it. The Slaking flew by calling up the psychic power in him, and carried passengers the same way. Having reached Elite-class, the Slaking's psychic power had come up to Elite level along with him, and he had learned Teleport as well; there would be nothing wrong with calling him a Psychic-type Pokémon.
Beyond that, the Gyarados could fly as well, and carry someone too. The Gyarados has the Flying type, so of course it can fly; it simply cannot fly high.
Vance could fly too. On the whole team, only the Combusken could not.
Up in the sky Vance searched for a long while without finding anything suitable. Perhaps the Pokémon below were keeping themselves hidden.
He could only have the Aerodactyl go in deeper; and when a further search turned up nothing, there was nothing for it but to have the Aerodactyl land, and to look through the vast sea of forest himself.
"Combusken—"
To draw the Pokémon out, Vance sent out only the Combusken, and the two of them walked through the woods together.
They did run into several groups of Pokémon, and none of them attacked him; if anything, they showed affection.
That left Vance at a loss. None of them were strong, either, and he did not trouble them; he went past them and pressed on deeper.
"It'll be the Viridian Power, I expect."
The thought came to him because all the way along he had not once been attacked; every Pokémon he met was friendly, and meant him no harm.
At that he gathered himself, held his breath, and hid the Viridian Power away.
Vance did not take himself for a good man, but he had no wish to use the Viridian Power in that way — to use a Pokémon's trust in order to strike at it.
Better to be an ordinary Trainer. That way it came down to what each of them could do.