"What do you mean, worse than a Fighting-type Pokémon?"
After failing again and again to move the TV remote with his psychic power, Shiro fell silent. He had wanted to argue, but instead he looked at Unown A.
"Then hurry up and collect the payment first."
Unown A nodded hard, clearly thrilled. It floated toward Mesprit, who was wandering around the balcony, and began talking excitedly while waving its body around in random gestures.
A moment later, Mesprit slowly drifted over. It rested its hands on the two pink ribbons hanging from its head and circled Shiro once.
In the end, it stopped in front of him. The two long tails behind it swayed gently, and its bright yellow eyes were full of seriousness.
'If you want to boost your psychic power in a short time, it will hurt a lot.'
"…"
Shiro's face twitched slightly. Then he nodded firmly.
"Just do it."
To become stronger, a little pain was nothing.
This was simply a trial one had to endure to become the strongest trainer.
"Hiss!"
A sharp pain suddenly struck the back of his head, like being stabbed by a steel spike. His mind turned into mush, and the world before his eyes began to spin.
Even after his vision went completely black, he did not lose consciousness. Mesprit's figure appeared in the center of the darkness, glowing brightly.
Psychic energy. Deep pink psychic power instantly covered his vision and his mind, yet he remained awake. A fierce burning sensation spread through his head.
It felt as if his head had been placed on a grill. The cook kept turning the skewer and even sprinkled seasoning on it from time to time.
This was not just pain. It was something far worse.
He tried to move his body but could not feel it at all. He wanted to scream or convulse, yet there was no way to do so.
The suffering came too suddenly.
He had barely prepared himself when it began.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the burning sensation slowly faded. Shiro could hear his own weak breathing.
He tried to sit up, but had no strength. His nerves still would not respond, not even to his fingers.
Sweat had soaked through the sheets beneath him. The pain was almost completely gone, and he felt like he had survived a disaster. It was far more intense than his escape from Galar.
Knock, knock, knock.
Urgent knocking came from outside the door, followed by a crew member's voice.
"Hey! Dr. Shiro! Are you alright? Captain Walt and I heard shouting inside just now, and no one answered when I knocked…"
The knocking sounded again, this time much gentler.
Then came Walt's calm, aged voice.
"Sir, if you need any help, please tell us."
Shiro was lying on the bed, breathing weakly. He simply could not respond.
Taking the chance, Unown A floated to the door and used psychic power to mimic his voice.
"Sorry. I was training with my Pokémon just now, and it might have gotten a bit intense. Is there something you need?"
There was a brief silence outside before Walt spoke again.
"There is something we need to inform you about."
"Go ahead."
"Not long ago, the main League assigned us a task. A few people kidnapped by pirates in the southern sea of Sinnoh sent out a distress signal. They want us to head over first and provide support."
After saying that, Walt quickly added, "The League's trainers are rushing there as well. They said that if we run into danger, we can use money to resolve it first and ransom the hostages. The League will cover any losses. I wanted to ask for your opinion."
'My opinion…'
Shiro had recovered a little, but when he tried to sit up, a wave of dizziness and disorientation washed over him.
Looking at Unown A, which had teleported in front of him with a worried face, he glanced toward the door and gave a slight nod.
Since this was an order from the main League, it was likely mandatory for Walt. Even Professor Rowan could find a way to charter an entire ship.
Still, the task carried real danger. Shiro was a guest in name and the only passenger on the ship.
Caught between these two points, Walt was in a difficult position, which was why he came to ask.
If Shiro insisted on refusing, Walt would return to Sinnoh, but he would probably be punished.
As for the task itself…
Hostages who could escape pirates and send distress messages. Anyone could tell it was a trap.
If they were captured, escaped, and still managed to send a message, were they all Pokémon protagonists or something?
The League probably wanted the S.S. Anne to stall the pirates for a while. With no passengers onboard, they could hold out until League trainers arrived.
There would definitely be danger during that time.
But Shiro also wanted to see what these trainers were capable of, especially pirates. Looking at small fry often revealed the bigger picture.
That way, he could roughly judge where his own strength stood.
And Mesprit was still with him. If even pirate grunts suddenly powered up or called in a boss, he could always escape if things went bad.
Unown A roughly understood his thoughts and replied in his voice.
"I understand, Captain Walt. You can agree to it. It's fine."
Hearing Shiro's response, Walt let out a breath of relief.
"Thank you very much for your understanding, Dr. Shiro. When we reach the location, just stay in the repair room under the ship and don't come out. I guarantee there won't be any danger."
After reminding him that the training room and the hall always had food prepared, Walt quickly led the crew down the stairs.
Shiro lay flat on the bed, half-closing his eyes as he stared at the ceiling.
The aftereffects of Mesprit's treatment had not faded yet. After such a sudden boost in psychic power, he felt strangely light, as if his whole body were floating.
'My dear Shiro, you really are floating,' Unown A said, standing on his chest and shaking its two slanted legs.
He did not hear it. Drowsy, he drifted off to sleep. His body floated in midair due to unconscious leakage of psychic power, only falling back onto the bed around midnight when most of that power was spent.
* * *
When Shiro woke up, it was already early morning.
Warm sunlight fell on his face, and his eyes snapped open. His mind felt clear and relaxed.
At the same time, something soft and furry brushed against his cheek.
Mesprit was curled up beside him, holding itself as it slept. Its small mouth moved with steady breaths.
He gently pushed it aside and glanced at the remote control from yesterday.
With a single thought, pale pink light flared. The remote shot into his hand.
He played with it for a bit, then used psychic power to send it flying around the room. Once he was satisfied, he let out a breath, stood up, and stretched.
"Finally, I can drink and eat without using my hands."
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!