"Sigh..."
"Stop sighing, or else you'll break your cane!"
Mr. Baimu glared at Otsuka, who was resting on his cane.
"We were just one step away, really. Aggron had a chance to win, and you almost made it to the semifinals! Less than two months in Pokémon training, and reaching the quarterfinals of the competition!"
Otsuka felt endless regret over losing in the quarterfinals.
However, Mr. Baimu had heard similar words and seen similar expressions at least a dozen times and was already sick of it.
Clearly, he was the one who lost, yet those around him seemed to feel more regretful, proactively coming over to offer consolation.
Even Cang Zhilang didn't make an excuse to pick a fight but instead drew a new goal.
"In a few days, there will be an important mission within the team. If you perform well enough and contribute significantly, I'll consider putting you on the candidate list for team leaders."
As for others, Mr. Baimu didn't know, but the promises made by the leader of the Sand Group were always genuine, substantial, and appealing.
And Otsuka went as far as to chase Mr. Baimu to the Pokémon Center on his cane, catching him while he was waiting for Aggron and the others to finish their treatment, with an expression that said he was ready to lend an ear anytime.
Unfortunately, Mr. Baimu didn't need an emotional trash can.
His stress tolerance wasn't so weak.
There was regret.
But more than that, he felt he failed to live up to Aggron and the others' expectations, failing to satisfy their longing for victory, inevitably feeling guilty.
Of course, he knew blaming himself exclusively wasn't a viable mindset.
He and Aggron and the others were a collective, and it wasn't right to separate himself from them.
Ding~
A medical staff member rang the bell, and the broadcast emitted a guide that didn't sound human, "Would Mr. Baimu number 118, please go to counter 5 to collect your Pokémon."
Mr. Baimu got up, took away the three Pokeballs, and also received a thick stack of medical reports.
Even with the strong recuperative abilities of Pokémon, some injuries couldn't heal in one day, and being unable to battle the next day was quite normal. The doctors currently prescribed Aggron and co. a two-day recovery period.
He flipped to the next page, discovering that despite the challenges faced fighting stronger opponents, the gains were immense, with Aggron and the team all leveling up once.
From this perspective, it was indeed a cause for joy.
Turning to the detailed status page for Aggron, even though Mr. Baimu was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but be amazed by the precise data—
It had been quietly putting in effort all along, so when evolution took place, the past accumulations exploded completely, creating the current version of it.
Starting with height, Aggron's height markedly exceeded the average line—reaching as tall as 245 cm, and its weight reached a staggering 430 kg, comparable to the average for Steelix.
The strength of the iron armor on its body surface was equally pleasing, with horns robust like two massive cones, only hindered from stretching further by its age.
Aggron could still grow, heading irretrievably towards becoming an even more terrifying beast.
Mr. Baimu exhaled a deep breath, a month ago the two of them were still lying in bed together, now it had turned into a giant beast that left a pit in a wooden bed when sitting.
Regarding skills, it had acquired two new ones—[Sacrifice Impact] and [Cannon Light Cannon], both extremely good Normal and Steel Attribute moves. The previously useless [Iron Tail] due to Lairon's short tail finally had a chance to shine.
"The road is long."
He stuffed the report into his pocket and pulled the limping Otsuka away.
——
Evening.
Inside a small two-story building.
Baimu, Aggron, Chansey, and Mawile first held a review meeting.
Chansey was sobbing uncontrollably. Before, when it suffered beatings, it never felt too sad, but now its tear ducts had burst, and it couldn't hold back any longer.
Because it felt it dragged the whole team down.
"Lucky~"
If only it had the ability to fight independently, the pressure on Aggron and Mawile wouldn't have been so huge.
Aggron and Mawile quickly moved to comfort it and then expressed where they felt they didn't perform adequately, just like Baimu considered his own shortcomings.
None of them felt they'd achieved perfection.
And subconsciously they took the blame upon themselves.
"We are a team. Any member's failure to perform is the failure of our entire team," Baimu routinely instilled the concept of a small team in them.
Only by fostering a cohesive team spirit could they go further.
Baimu also wished that the relationship between him and Aggron and the others wouldn't stagnate, and that regardless of the motivation, they should become more intimate.
Close and personal, soul resonance.
Listening to their trainer's words, Aggron and the others nodded collectively.
"That concludes the review meeting, let's eat!"
He waved his hand dramatically, pointing to the table overflowing with richly served dinner, "Eat! Not a single bit should be left today! Eat until your stomachs are full!"
"Roar!"
"Lucky~"
"Chido!"
The three Pokémon responded and dived into eating eagerly.
This was a review meeting, but also a celebration of gratitude, celebrating Aggron's evolution and thanking everyone for their continuous efforts.
Initially, he thought of having someone else prepare and deliver the meal.
But then reconsidered and decided against it; what Aggron and the others probably wanted most were the dishes made by their trainer himself.
So.
Baimu spent an entire afternoon just barely putting together such a lavish spread.
'Turning regret into appetite, eating it little by little into the stomach, either disappearing completely or continuing to linger in one's heart. But regardless, it would become the sustenance for progress, allowing everyone to grow stronger once more.'
He thought silently, watching the three Pokémon eat with gusto, and he picked up a spoon and started eating heartily too.
Growth!
They needed to keep growing!
At this moment.
All four around the dining table shared the same thought in their minds.
——
The competition continued.
After defeating Baimu, Shanren forged ahead, winning both the semifinals and the finals swiftly.
Emerging as the new champion.
However, he didn't seem too happy about it.
Did he think Pyrite Town's trainer standards were too low?
Mr. Baimu recalled that this guy returned from another region and had participated in various regional competitions.
Yet his results were not talked about.
Not sure if they were excellent or poor.
But as Mr. Baimu mentioned before, Meowstic wasn't even Shanren's main force; Slowbro and Claydol were by no means his trump cards either.
His true ace was an Alakazam, manipulating Spiritual Power with extraordinary mastery, remarkable and astonishing.
If Alakazam were to face Lairon, it wouldn't have held till its evolution explosion moment; Baimu wouldn't be far from a total loss then.
Speaking of which.
Why he initially chose Meowstic was really puzzling.
Even if he didn't pick Alakazam, judging from later performances, he could have sent out other Psychic-type Pokémon.
"Superpower Specialization, huh..."
Baimu watched the televised matches, contrasting it with other attributes, among Psychic Attributes were many master craftsmen, and many trainers possessed extraordinary abilities, i.e., being Superpower Users themselves.
I wonder what the situation is with Shanren...
Of course, it's not to say a Psychic-type trainer without superpowers can't reach the top; among the three Celestial Kings specializing in Psychic Attributes, only Caitlin explicitly stated she had superpowers.
The rest included five Gym Trainers—Nazi from Kanto, Xiaofeng and Konan from Hoenn, Olympia from Carlos, and Sableye from Galar all possessed superpowers.
Come to think of it, Psychic-type trainers indeed seemed to require superpowers more.