Inside the Su Family Pet Shop, the atmosphere was far from relaxed.
Zhu Jianyuan sat with arms crossed, his sharp gaze fixed on Rock like a hawk watching a suspicious fox. Lu Liangpeng, on the other hand, accepted a cup of tea from Meloetta with his usual serene smile.
This time, without a formal government order backing him, Rock had no leverage to drive these two formidable figures away.
"Um… there's really no need to watch me so closely," Rock said with a helpless expression.
"I just want to test if I can awaken the same Power of Bonds as Zhou Xiaofei."
Given that both men already knew the details, there wasn't much point in Rock trying to hide his intentions.
Still, being stared at like some kind of villain—even with his famously thick skin and smiling, squinty eyes—was more than a little uncomfortable.
"No need to worry, Mr. Rock," Lu Liangpeng said gently, sipping his tea.
"I was present when Xiaofei first awakened the Power of Bonds. Perhaps I can be of some assistance."
Zhu Jianyuan added with a snort and a devilish grin:
"Yeah, I could help too—maybe by putting you in a life-or-death situation or something..."
"…"
Cold sweat began to bead on Rock's forehead.
Su Bai gave a small, resigned laugh.
"Alright, alright. Stop scaring him. He really doesn't seem to have any bad intentions."
"If this Power of Bonds can be replicated, it'd be good for all of humanity."
He turned toward Rock and gestured.
"Enough talk. Let's begin."
"I want to see for myself—what makes the Rock family heir so special?"
Rock nodded, taking a deep breath.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out an item—a ritual dagger. It looked old, worn, even crude. Almost like a child's toy.
He glanced down at the Haunter peeking up at him from the shadows at his feet, then placed the dagger on the table without using it.
Su Bai's eyes narrowed as he examined it.
That's… a ritual dagger?
He had seen many ritual daggers before—those carried by professional Summoners were always ornate, inlaid with expensive gemstones, treated like treasured heirlooms.
The Rock family was anything but poor. So why did this dagger look so battered?
"This was the first-generation Rock's dagger," Rock explained softly.
"At first, I instinctively thought about using it to break into Haunter's mental domain… but that would've hurt him."
"And if I had to force my way in like that, the whole thing would be meaningless."
"If all Contract Trainers did that, we'd be seen as enemies by every Pokémon."
Su Bai gave a slight nod.
Smart kid.
The moment Rock took out the dagger, Su Bai had been ready to recall Haunter on the spot.
Though the system had long since been patched—rendering any forced spiritual intrusion via ritual dagger impossible within the Pokémon Center—the mere intention to harm a Pokémon was enough for Su Bai to take offense.
"Huuuuh… Alright, let's do this."
Rock took another deep breath and glanced at the three men.
"If any of you feel strange or uncomfortable during the process… I apologize in advance."
Zhu Jianyuan scoffed.
"What? You think some rookie Contract Trainer without even a contracted Death Beast could shake me from across the room?"
Lu Liangpeng rolled his eyes at the boast.
"It's fine. This old man can still handle a little psychic pressure."
Rock didn't reply. He simply looked at Su Bai—who remained silent—and then slowly closed his eyes.
The very next moment, the air around him changed.
His clothes stirred slightly despite the absence of wind.
A sudden, overwhelming aura surged from his body—and with it, a pressure that made the room feel smaller.
Zhu Jianyuan's mocking expression instantly twisted into one of shock.
He shook his head slightly, trying to shake off the dizzying sensation building behind his eyes.
"What the hell?! That mental force… How can it be this strong?!"
"Just the passive release is enough to make an S-Class like me dizzy?!"
Lu Liangpeng closed his eyes, letting the sensation wash over him.
After a moment, he opened them again and nodded slowly.
"It's incredibly powerful. I've never felt anything like it… It's at least ten times stronger than mine."
"Ten times?!" Su Bai's eyes widened in disbelief.
He couldn't feel any discomfort himself—the Pokémon Center made him utterly invincible within its bounds, immune to all effects.
Not even Rock self-destructing at full power would've scratched him.
So, to gauge Rock's power, he had to rely on the reactions of Zhu Jianyuan and the old principal.
And ten times stronger than Lu Liangpeng's spiritual force?
That was no small number.
In the arcane professions, spiritual power was everything.
If magical energy represented raw strength, then mental force represented control.
Lu Liangpeng, known for his precision and micro-control in combat, had never been lacking in spiritual prowess.
What's more, mental power usually increased with age and experience.
And Rock?
He was still just a youth—barely into adulthood.
Yet his spiritual strength was already ten times greater than a top-tier mage.
What kind of monstrous talent is this?!
"No wonder he's the heir to the Rock family…" Su Bai murmured, watching as Locke's eyes remained tightly shut.
"But still—mental strength alone isn't enough."
"Pokémon don't care how powerful your mind is…"
In the corner of the room, nestled in the shadow beneath Rock's feet, Haunter tilted its head in confusion.
It clearly sensed the spiritual tendrils reaching out to it—writhing like invisible hands trying to make contact.
It blinked. Looked left. Looked right.
Curious, yes. But unmoved.
There was no resonance. No bond.
No real response.
Su Bai rubbed his chin, thoughtful.
"You know… I think the real key to awakening the Power of Bonds isn't about being a Contract Trainers at all."
"Even if Zhou Xiaofei had become a Mage… or a Songstress… as long as the profession requires spiritual power, I believe he still could've awakened that power."
"The real difference… lies in how he treated his Magikarp."
"Magikarp evolves through bond-based evolution. To achieve that, the connection between Trainer and Pokémon must be deep."
"And most importantly—Xiaofei never once sought power from his Pokémon."
Su Bai looked Locke dead in the eye.
"You're not pure enough."
"Your intentions are too calculated—too filled with purpose."
"If you could approach Haunter without expecting anything in return… maybe then it would be willing to respond."
Watching Rock struggle to reach his Haunter through brute-force spiritual pressure, Su Bai finally saw the missing piece.
Even if Rock's mind was a hundred times stronger than Zhou Xiaofei's… it didn't matter.
Because the key wasn't mental strength.
It was heart.
Xiaofei had been a child of the apocalypse, possessing almost nothing.
But he carried a pure, unyielding kindness—a rare trait in a shattered world.
He was the kind of kid who, even in his darkest moments, asked whether Magikarp would feel lonely inside the Pokédex.
The kind who always thought of his Pokémon's feelings first.
That kind of untainted, genuine bond…
That was the true foundation of the Power of Transcendence.
And Rock—regardless of his goals or intentions—was anything but pure.