Morning.
Baimu awakens to Deino licking him.
Groggily, he wipes the drool off his face and says, "Why didn't you bite my hand today… Oh right, this is the wake-up bell mode."
"Mawwo!"
Deino yells and bounces back and forth on the bed.
"Alright, alright, little alarm clock, calm down."
He presses Deino's head, which quiets it down.
As the trainer yawns and gets out of bed, Deino vaguely senses a resentful gaze focused on itself.
No need to guess, it knows who it is.
"Mawwo?"
It chirps softly.
Like a flower, Galarian Corsola releases all its tendrils, entering a state of high alert to glare at Deino for two seconds before retracting them lethargically.
Being a Laziness Coral, not to mention how much energy it would take to actively go and beat up Deino, even if it did, would it improve its daily bouncing habit?
No.
So it simply lies down, acting like nothing happened.
On the other side, Deino, not getting any response for a while, is even more perplexed. Among all the Pokémon at home, it uniquely doesn't know how to interact with Galarian Corsola.
"Mawwo…"
Silence.
This is the reason, never getting a response.
If it weren't for the scent linking to Galarian Corsola, it would genuinely believe the other didn't exist.
Lost interest, Deino jumps down from the bed and follows the scent trail to the bathroom, "Mawwo! Mawwo!"
While brushing his teeth, Baimu curiously looks at this little creature that's always full of vitality, "What's up? Do you want to brush your teeth?"
Brushing teeth!
Deino's body stiffens.
If dealing with a Pokémon is challenging, then dealing with brushing teeth is harder.
It really can't stand the taste of Pokémon-special toothpaste; it wants to swallow but can't, wants to spit yet the toothbrush keeps stirring, which is like torture to it.
"Maw…wo..."
Deino quietly backs off.
Then it bumps into Chansey who's just about to come in.
"Lucky?"
"Mawwo!" Deino flinches instantly, wanting to run away but Baimu speaks up.
"Grab it! Today's brush teeth day!"
Chansey hears this and shows Deino an apologetic smile, hugging its slender neck.
Deino struggles furiously, shouting as if about to be killed.
But waiting for it is just a round-headed toothbrush, and Baimu's sly grin, "You bite my hand and lick my face every day, how can I not manage your oral hygiene?"
"Mawwo—"
"Shouting won't work, shout again and I'll brush for five more minutes!"
"Mawwo!!"
"Ten minutes!!"
Deino falls silent, obediently pulled into the bathroom by Chansey.
Soon after.
Finally done with the Pokémon hygiene issues, Baimu exhales and pokes Deino's head, "When will you stop making me and Chansey so tired!"
"Mawwo~"
Deino keeps licking its teeth with its tongue; just brushed, they feel slippery, and it's not used to it.
Baimu looks at it but can't help but think of how it'll be after its evolution.
If one head is so challenging, how will two heads manage… Maybe it'll take four people to hold it down and keep its teeth clean.
"Whew…"
He exhales, pulls open the curtains to let the golden sunlight flood into the room, catching a glimpse of Galarian Corsola sneakingly floating to a shady spot.
The goal for today is clear — to reach Martial Arts Town.
Just coincidentally, in the animation, unlike the game, it's possible to take a ferry there. Given the proximity, it should be a quick trip; he can head over leisurely.
After a while.
Baimu, with his backpack, goes to the front desk to check out, praising and thanking the hotel for the excellent service these past days.
Keeping information private may be standard practice or an ethical issue for hotels or staff, but for someone from a past life used to personal data being sold repeatedly, this is highly commendable.
Leaving without reporters blocking the way and having a car arranged to go to the pier, additional praises were given.
"Today it's your turn, keep your spirits up."
Sitting in the car, he pats the Galarian Corsola perched on his shoulder, which remains unresponsive.
Having Pokémon around helps with promoting intimacy, but since his relationship with Galarian Corsola feels more like employment, Baimu decides to bring it out often.
Unfortunately, Galarian Corsola has zero interest in the outside world, not even bothering to open its eyes; once on Baimu's shoulder, it enters a mode of isolation from the world.
If not for Baimu wearing a black T-shirt, others might think he had grown a head-sized tumor.
——
Pier.
Baimu arrives with perfect timing, as a ferry bound for Martial Arts Town will depart in half an hour, with plenty of empty seats onboard.
The Pokémon World is vast and sparsely populated, with most people gathered in major cities like Kanaz City. Due to a global passion for travel, seemingly imprinted in the human genes of the animation world, many places appear relatively empty.
Like the ferry he is set to board.
Counting quickly, there are over a hundred seats, yet the number of people and Pokémon onboard can be counted with just two hands.
"Spaciousness has its benefits."
Baimu enjoys the tranquility, allowing for a good conversation with Galarian Corsola; after all, talking doesn't take much effort, and he can even do it one-sidedly.
Having been with Galarian Corsola for quite some time, he knows a little about its weaknesses.
Light.
As a Ghost Attribute Pokémon, Galarian Corsola's body is a smoky, unknown substance, with its rocky outer shell resembling a "coffin."
Therefore, when light is released into its shell through the holes, Galarian Corsola experiences a humiliating sensation as if its coffin were being pried open.
This leads to awakening.
Occasionally, Baimu would use this method to notify it to "get to work," but today clearly isn't one of those days.
The awakened Galarian Corsola opens its eyes, "Soth?"
"No big deal, just wanted to chat a bit."
He smiles in return.
The Galarian Corsola, anticipating a battle, naturally displays a "Are you crazy?" expression.
Baimu remains unfazed, starting to talk about a mix of everything and nothing.
Whenever Galarian Corsola tries to go silent, he flashes a small flashlight swiftly, much like a mosquito suddenly buzzing by the ear and then disappearing in an instant.
Awakened abruptly three or four times.
Galarian Corsola furrows its brow, extending all its tendrils, "Soth!"
What's the deal here? Want a fight?
Baimu maintains his smile, chatting about lunch he might have in Martial Arts Town later, as if oblivious to its bristling appearance.
Galarian Corsola finds itself helpless, so it reluctantly stays in a semi-awake conservation mode, listening to him ramble on.
What else could it do? Bite him?
Sure, biting him is simple, but if it makes a move, it'll surely lead to relentless complications. It knows well that some seemingly helpful strategies actually bring more trouble.
Has a Laziness Expert been blowing this idea to you?