As Jigglypuff's song floated through the air, a deep wave of drowsiness spread across the area.
Even Mewtwo seemed slightly affected—its sharp, vigilant gaze grew softer.
"This is unbelievable," Nozomi thought, unable to hide his awe.
That Jigglypuff was terrifying in its own way. Though its battle power didn't seem particularly strong, just this one move—Sing—was enough to place it above countless Pokémon.
Nozomi focused all his psychic power to resist the sleepiness surging in his mind. Finally, just as he was about to reach his limit, Jigglypuff's song came to an end.
"Phew." Nozomi exhaled hard.
Finally. That had been way too close for comfort.
As he caught his breath, he turned toward Jigglypuff again—only to see an enormous smile lighting up the Pokémon's round face.
With a cheerful bounce, Jigglypuff spread its tiny arms and launched itself into Nozomi's chest.
"Puuuu—fffff!"
It was the first time since learning to sing that Jigglypuff had met someone who could stay awake through an entire performance. Its joy overflowed beyond measure.
Its body was light—only slightly heavier than a balloon—but when Nozomi held it, the soft, bouncy texture felt wonderful, nothing like the hollowness of air-filled rubber.
He rubbed its round head gently before setting it down.
"That was beautiful," Nozomi praised sincerely.
He wasn't just saying that to be polite. Though Jigglypuff's song carried an overwhelming hypnotic effect, the melody itself was stunningly lovely.
If not for that soporific power, Jigglypuff could easily have made it big in show business—perhaps even as a true Pokémon idol.
"Jiggly—puffff!"
Jigglypuff chirped happily, looking up at him.
Nozomi turned his gaze toward Mewtwo, the designated interpreter.
Mewtwo gave him a languid look before saying slowly, "It says… it wants to travel with you."
"Travel with me?" Nozomi blinked, a bit surprised—but the idea wasn't unreasonable.
In the original timeline, Jigglypuff had always yearned for an audience who could stay awake and enjoy its singing from start to finish. But few humans—or Pokémon—ever could.
Now that Nozomi had done so, it made perfect sense that Jigglypuff would want to join him.
"Puu—fff!"
Jigglypuff nodded seriously.
After all, people who could stay awake through its song were almost nonexistent—and this human had even treated it to a delicious lunch earlier.
"Well then," Nozomi said with a grin, extending his hand, "welcome to the team!"
From a tactical standpoint, recruiting Jigglypuff gave Nozomi another secret weapon. He couldn't rely on Mewtwo in the upcoming Indigo League Conference, so he needed alternative strategies to surprise his opponents.
With Jigglypuff, he could easily imagine a match where the little singer performed mid-battle—putting everyone, Pokémon and audience alike, into a stunned silence.
And besides, on a purely personal level, just hugging this soft, round puffball as a pillow at night sounded worth far more than the cost of feeding it.
No matter how he looked at it, Nozomi was coming out ahead.
Jigglypuff, overjoyed, raised its tiny hand. The two palms—one large, one small—met in a crisp high-five. Thus, Jigglypuff officially joined the team.
Nozomi took out a Luxury Ball and recalled it, then turned to his still-dazed Ivysaur and Leafeon, who had only just woken up and had no idea what had happened. "Alright, lunch break's over. Time to move on."
He realized that sometimes, traveling on foot wasn't a bad thing at all. If he had flown straight to Cinnabar Gym on Dragonite, he never would have met such an interesting Pokémon along the way.
Grampa Canyon.
It had been nearly a month since Nozomi last visited the site. Ever since rumors spread that ancient Pokémon had been sighted there, the canyon had been swarming with visitors.
"This is insane…"
At the Pokémon Center near the canyon, Nozomi found himself in a sea of people—trainers, fossil enthusiasts, researchers, and thrill-seekers alike.
After squeezing through the crowd, he finally reached Nurse Joy's counter, only to be greeted with a sympathetic smile.
"I'm terribly sorry, sir. If you were hoping to stay overnight, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. The Pokémon Center is completely full. If you have no urgent business in Grampa Canyon, I recommend heading to Moss Town, about thirty kilometers away. You should still find available lodging there."
Her tone was apologetic but practiced—she had clearly repeated this explanation many times today.
Nozomi nodded in understanding. "I can tell. The place is absolutely packed."
Just looking at how this massive facility had been reduced to standing-room-only space made it clear how overwhelmed the staff were.
"Has it been this crowded lately?" he asked.
"Not usually," Joy said, sighing. "Trainers have always come here to dig for fossils, but ever since Silph Co. announced they discovered living ancient Pokémon here, the number of visitors has exploded."
Her voice carried a trace of irritation—understandable, considering she was overworked because of Silph Co.'s publicity.
Nozomi coughed awkwardly. Technically speaking, he was one of the discoverers of living fossil Pokémon—and the one who'd captured an Aerodactyl, no less.
"Has anyone actually managed to capture one of these ancient Pokémon?" he asked.
"Are you interested in them too?" Joy tilted her head, then answered honestly, "No. No one has succeeded yet."
"How terrifying," Nozomi muttered.
If things were already this chaotic without anyone capturing one, he could only imagine how wild it would get once someone actually did.
"Thanks for the information," he said politely.
Joy blinked. "Wait, sir—don't you need to have your Pokémon healed?"
"No need. They're all in good condition. I just wanted to ask about the situation. You're busy enough already, so I won't take up more of your time."
With that, Nozomi gave a courteous nod and left the Center, heading toward the area where Silph Co. had set up its excavation camp.
The feverish intensity among the trainers made him uneasy. He needed to see the situation for himself—and if there was any way he could help, he would.