After leaping out of the ke, the Shellder sed the shore.

  Upon spotting the King’s Rock atop the Slowpoke’s head, its expression shifted to one of uanding.

  So that’s how it was.

  g its shell, the Shellder hopped to Slowpoke’s side and quietly awaited its destined moment.

  After evolution, it would bee part of another Pokémon.

  Though it would retain its own thoughts, it could no longer move, speak, or express emotions.

  It would exist like a repulsive parasite, growing by siphoning nutrients from the Slowpoke.

  No longer an indepe being, but a mere po of another creature.

  Such a future felt suffog just to imagine.

  Yet the Shellder seemed utterly calm, as if it had long prepared itself for this—even weling it eagerly.

  “So you’ve already made arras…”

  “…and even vi willingly.”

  Natsume watched the Shellder lingerihe Slowpoke, seemingly in a daze, a surprised.

  He khis Slowpoke was clever, but hadn’t expected it to procure its own Shellder for evolution in advand to tame the creature into willingly being its “po.”

  Yes, po.

  No matter how kindly phrased, Slowpoke’s evolution required a Shellder’s cooperation.

  All the Shellder’s past joys, sorrows, and efforts would vanish the moment evolution took hold. No one would remember the Shellder; they’d only think of Slowking. Thus, trainers rarely allowed their own Shellder to evolve their Slowpoke.

  Even wild Shellder avoided this fate—unless driven by insatiable hunger (scratch that).

  Of course, in some ways, this might be a good oute for the Shellder?

  After evolving into Slowbro, it would no longer hunt or struggle to survive, instead waking daily to savor sweet secretions from Slowbro’s tail.

  “Slow.”

  I simply expihe situation.

  Perhaps because evolution neared, Slowpoke shed its usual vat demeanor.

  The act was no longer necessary.

  “…Alright.”

  Notig Slowpoke’s disi in versation, Natsume stepped back to give it spabsp;

  The Slowpoke, adorned with the King’s Rock, g the Shellder at its feet.

  “Slow?”

  Do you have any st wishes?

  The Shellder shook its head calmly.

  It had none.

  Even before drifting to the farm’s ke aing Slowpoke, its days had been meaningless: eating seaweed, hiding, sleeping—an endless cycle of survival for survival’s sake.

  Now, at least, it had found purpose.

  “Slow.”

  The us evolve.

  Slowpoke lowered its head, it to the Shellder—a gesture that left it visibly uneasy.

  This felt like surrendering its life to another creature.

  Unfortable.

  CRAbsp;

  Without hesitation, the Shellder cmped onto Slowpoke’s head.

  In the instant, evolution’s radiant light erupted—

  Natsume’s sed evolution withat day.

  No matter how oftehis brillianever lost its awe.

  Perhaps this is life’s true miracle.

  Within the light, Slowpoke’s face flickered with rare excitement.

  It had waited so long for this moment.

  Finally… evolution!

  Memories surged—

  Slowpoke had always been unusual.

  It khis well.

  While others in its tribe mindlessly fished with their tails by the ke, it had pos future.

  But it hadn’t always been special.

  O was just another Slowpoke in the herd, waking daily to sge berries, following the crowd, its mind a fog.

  That era was o preferred tet—not because of its peers, but because it couldn’t bear remembering its own past idiobsp;

  Like humans ging at their teenage selves, it refused to revisit those “dark ages.”

  Everything ged one midnight.

  Hunger drove it into a yon, where Psychic-types gathered—

  Lunatone and Solrock most numerous.

  Bathed in moonlight, they performed an eerie ritual, as if summoned by unseen forces.

  In the yon’s heart, Grumpig darangely, Meowstic ted, Musharna exhaled pink mist.

  Sigilyph guarded the rite, while Reuniclus ferried materials.

  Uhe guidance of Lunatone and Solrock, moonlight and other unseen forces coalesced into nearly tangible rays of light, funneling into a gemsto the valley’s heart.

  All proceeded orderly—

  until the brainless Slowpoke blundered in.

  Unprehending, it spotted berries and lunged. Uhe hollow gazes of the Psychic horde, it devoured a berry and kicked aside a frozen Reuniclus blog its path.

  Then…

  It remembered little.

  Only that the ritual spiraled out of trol.

  Agony seared its body—as if bursting.

  Something flooded into it; something else drained out.

  Warmth spread—Blood, it realized betedly.

  Am I dying?

  That was its final thought before darkook it.

  Yet upon waking, it y unharmed by a mirror-clear ke.

  “Slow?”

  fused, it discovered newfound Psychic power: a crushing telekiic force erupting at will—

  untrolble, destructive.

  Attempting to pluck a berry obliterated the eree. As it rampaged, a breeze stirred.

  A small Pokémon emerged from the ke—a gray-bodied, red-gemmed creature resembling a mythic ke sprite.

  “Slow?”

  Who are you?

  Slowpoke tilted its head.

  So tiny. ’t see clearly.

  Unleashed Psychiergy surged toward the creature.

  Disaster!

  Slowpoke panicked but couldn’t stop it—yet the energy dissolved upon tact, vanishing like snow in sunlight.

  ‘I am Uxie.’

  The voice resonated in Slowpoke’s mind.

  The floating Uxie drew near.

  ‘You disrupted a ritual st night. The surge nearly destroyed you.’

  ‘I brought you here. Now, you’ll learn to trol this power.’

  Without awaiting sent, Uxie lifted a paw.

  Slowpoke floated helplessly into the air, its Psychic abilities i despite its thrashing.

  ‘I sidered sealing your power until you evolved into Slowking,’ Uxie mused,

  ‘but teag you now will save future trouble.’

  ‘Stay here. You’ll be fed.’

  Slowpoke scratched its head. How’d you know I was hungry?

  you read minds?

  Uxie didn’t answer.

  (Of course it could.)

  Lonely from silence, Uxie began sharing tless tales during their time together.

  Thus, Slowpoke pieced together the truth: A Pokémon named Deoxys sought to awaken its kin, hypnotizing Psychic-types to fuel a ritual.

  Slowpoke’s interruption—kig a crucial Reuniclus—bined with Uxie’s csh against Deoxys, had fuhe ritual’s energy into Slowpoke.

  Uxie’s ally had barely stabilized it.

  In the end, Deoxys’s rage forced Uxie to flee with help from friends.

  The hypnotized Psychic-types remained in the energy-rich yon—a minor paradise for their kind.

  Through Uxie, Slowpoke’s intelligence grew.

  So itchy… feels like I’m growing a brain.

  Life eaceful, idyllibsp;

  Slowpoke cherished it.

  Uxie once described its possible evolutions: four forms, including regional variants—a promising future.

  Slowpoke resolved to bee Slowking: not just for its tent power, but because Uxie called it the wisest form.

  Uxie is wise. I want to be like Uxie.

  It had e to view Uxie as a dear friend.

  But one day, tranquility shattered. Uxie urgently spouted inprehensible words, sealed Slowpoke’s unstable power, and flung it far away, saying, ‘The seal breaks upon evolution.’

  Slowpoke tried returning, but found only scorched earth—cracked ground, dried ke.

  After a month, it accepted Uxie’s absenbsp;

  Leaving a crude marker of stones and twigs, it embarked on a journey, seeking Uxie while chasing evolution.

  Along the way, it met a homeless Mudkip—a tiny refugee. Slowpoke took it in, mirr Uxie’s kindness. Later, they entered a human:

  “Hello. I’m Natsume, the owner of this farm.”

  Initially, it po leave Mudkip at the farm and resume its quest alone.

  But circumstances—and Mudkip’s attat—kept it there.

  Guess I’ve grown attached too.

  Besides, wandering aimlessly seemed futile.

  Maybe this human, Natsume, help.

  When Natsume ter discussed evolution, Slowpoke doubted he’d procure the rare King’s Rock—yet he did.

  Now, as the evolution glow faded,

  Natsume’s voice rang out:

  “gratutions… Slowking.”

  Eyes opened, Slowking made its gra.

  Gcell