"But if that's the case… what about my popularity?"
A thought suddenly struck Peter, and he immediately opened SNS.
"—Hiss!"
He sucked in a sharp breath.
His follower count had skyrocketed from just over ten thousand to more than two hundred thousand!
The screen was flooded with 999+ comments and private messages, so many that it was impossible to read them all.
"Holy crap! Did I seriously just become famous because the Champion patched the rules for me?"
Peter could only say one thing—happiness had come way too suddenly.
He casually skimmed a few comments:
"The bugs of the old era are gone—there's no more abusing the system in the new age. —Peter"
"Bug Brother found the bug… and became the last man to ever exploit it."
"Exploit what? Where do I go to exploit? I wanna go in too—hard!"
"Champion Cynthia was ruthless this time. I stepped into the Gym with one foot and immediately stepped back out."
"Ding! The bug you reported has been fixed. Thank you for your feedback and support~"
"…"
"Yeah… this isn't bad at all."
Peter smiled knowingly.
That familiar feeling from his past life returned—the feeling of being seen, of being watched by countless eyes.
"That's an understatement," Norman laughed loudly from the video call.
"You have no idea—half the Gym Leaders are asking me to open a class and teach them how to pick disciples!"
"Alright, alright," Caroline reminded him gently from the side.
"Enough bragging. Don't you still have something important to tell the kid?"
"Oh right, right!" Norman slapped his forehead.
"Peter, I searched through the entire Petalburg Woods these past few days, but I couldn't find a single Slakoth that likes spinach."
"But after evolving, Vigoroth are energetic and not picky eaters, so I picked out a few candidates for you."
As he spoke, Norman released five well-built Vigoroth, each one radiating impressive presence and excellent physique.
"This one's a descendant of my signature Slaking—its raw strength is outstanding."
"This one was the little tyrant of Petalburg Woods—wild and hard to control, but its Speed talent is excellent."
"And this one…"
Norman carefully went over the strengths and weaknesses of each Vigoroth, offering his personal insights nonstop.
It took a full ten minutes before he finished introducing all five.
Then he looked back at the screen.
"Just pick whichever you like. Any of them will turn out fine with proper training."
"Professor… you…"
Peter hesitated, his nose suddenly stinging.
Others might not realize it—but he knew.
Norman was currently at a critical stage of the Hoenn Elite Four selection.
He trained from dawn till dusk almost every day.
And yet, because of one phone call, Norman had searched through the entirety of Petalburg Woods in just a few days.
That forest alone covered nearly half of Hoenn's primitive jungle.
And it wasn't just vast—it was dangerous.
Gym-tier and even Elite Four–level wild Pokémon roamed freely within.
"Thank you… Norman-senpai."
Peter bowed deeply toward the screen.
He had done nothing for Norman—yet the man treated him like his own son.
Even Caroline would regularly ask about his travels and mail him foods he liked.
"Hey, hey, what's with that?" Norman waved him off, laughing.
"You just focus on improving and bringing honor to your teacher. You've got no idea how jealous the others are right now!"
"…I will," Peter said seriously.
"I'll do my best."
"Good! Now hurry up and choose~"
Norman bent down and grabbed a bunch of spinach, tossing it to the Vigoroth.
Because of Peter, he'd bought spinach in bulk as food for Slaking and its line. The courtyard was stacked with leftovers.
….
Peter's gaze moved slowly across the group of Vigoroth.
Compared to Slakoth, which suffered from the Truant Ability, Vigoroth were much easier to raise.
Their Vital Spirit Ability meant endless energy—no sleeping, no slacking off.
Of course, there was also a theory that Vigoroth burned through too much energy, which was why Slaking became so lazy after evolution…
"Then maybe I'll—"
Peter hesitated and pointed toward a Vigoroth greedily snatching spinach.
At that moment, a Slakoth crawled over, scooping up a large handful of spinach and stuffing it into its mouth.
It was different from ordinary Slakoth.
Its movements were slow and strained, its body smeared with mud, looking filthy and pitiful.
"Move!"
One Vigoroth, clearly displeased that its food had been touched, kicked the Slakoth away.
"Slak…"
The Slakoth rolled several times on the ground, shrinking back timidly.
After hesitating for a moment—
It crawled forward again.
Peter noticed the abnormality and frowned slightly.
"That Slakoth…"
Norman sighed softly.
"This child… as you can see, it's a disabled Slakoth.
It was attacked shortly after birth. Its mother died protecting it."
"It survived—but its hind legs were permanently crippled.
It can only move using its arms."
"Still… maybe because survival was so difficult, it grew up surprisingly resilient."
As he spoke, Norman held out some spinach to the little Slakoth.
It ignored him and continued eating on its own.
"Norman-senpai… bring it closer. I want to take a better look."
Norman froze.
"Wait—you're not seriously—"
"Yes," Peter said plainly.
"If its temperament is suitable, I want to choose this one."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Norman's voice rose sharply.
"It can't even move freely! How could it possibly battle?!"
Peter didn't respond. He simply looked at the Slakoth.
When Norman raised his voice, the little Pokémon visibly paused.
Loneliness filled its eyes.
Compared to other Slakoth, its arms were far thicker, while its unusable hind legs had atrophied.
The silhouette was strange—almost like a Geodude without legs, just a body and arms.
If one looked only at the arms, they were even thicker than the nearby Vigoroth's—powerful and grotesquely strong.
"Norman-senpai," Peter said calmly, his voice filled with conviction,
"I've never believed that speed is a mandatory requirement for battle."
"Where I come from, there's an old saying—
Great strength creates miracles. One force can shatter ten thousand techniques."
"If this little guy is what I think it is…"
"Then it'll be an incredible choice."
As Peter spoke, hope crept into his tone.
The Slakoth slowed its chewing.
It lifted its head.
Its clear eyes met Peter's through the screen—
And a spark of light ignited within them.
"…You…"
Norman sighed deeply.
"There's really no talking sense into you. Fine."
"I'll send this child to you. Train it for a while.
If there's no obvious progress—send it back and listen to my arrangements. Deal?"
"No problem, Norman-senpai!"
Peter grinned broadly. "I'm confident."
Then he looked straight at the Slakoth.
"I'm looking forward to meeting you, little guy.
I like your eyes."
"Slak…"
The Slakoth raised the spinach in its hand—almost as if responding.
After the call ended, Norman looked helplessly at Caroline.
"What kind of mess is this…"
Caroline smiled as she tied on her apron and headed into the kitchen.
"Peter has always thought differently from others.
Who knows? Maybe it'll work."
"After all…" she said gently,
"Isn't there a saying? There are no useless Pokémon—only useless Trainers."
Norman froze.
"…No useless Pokémon… only useless Trainers…"
On the ground, the Slakoth's eyes shone brighter than ever before.
--------------
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