Looking at the Togepi that stubbornly refused to acknowledge him, Gary didn't feel annoyed at all. Instead, he spoke calmly, almost casually.
"You should be able to feel it now," Gary said. "See if your body has changed. See if you've really mastered many new moves."
"Boke!"
Togepi was still venting its anger, cheeks puffed up and eyes full of defiance. But when it heard Gary's words, it subconsciously paused and focused inward.
At first, it didn't feel anything special.
But then—
Its expression froze.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Why… why did it suddenly know so many things?
Moves it had never learned before. Moves it had never even dared to imagine. Togepi's mind was suddenly flooded with unfamiliar yet perfectly clear knowledge—how to release energy, how to shape it, how to control it.
Before this, Togepi only truly knew three moves. And even those had been learned through sneaky observation and imitation, requiring a long time and a lot of effort.
But now?
It felt like dozens of techniques were neatly arranged in its instincts, as if they had always been there.
"What…?" Togepi muttered subconsciously.
"Don't be surprised," Gary said lightly. "Those skills were taught to you by me. As long as you follow me properly, I can make you the strongest Togepi in the world."
"Boke?"
Togepi looked at Gary suspiciously, eyes full of doubt.
There was no way it believed him.
After all, when Gary taught those skills, Togepi had been unconscious. Even though its intimacy had increased, it still couldn't connect those memories to Gary's words.
"You don't believe me?" Gary asked, smiling faintly. "Then I can teach you a few more right now."
"…."
Togepi fell silent.
Its eyes flickered.
Cunning thoughts began to swirl in its little head.
This human was strong. Annoyingly strong. And clearly not easy to fool.
But at the same time…
This human really could teach skills instantly.
After a long moment of thinking, Togepi suddenly changed its expression.
"Boke~!"
It instantly put on a cute, innocent smile and rushed forward, hugging Gary's leg tightly, acting as if it had completely accepted him.
Gary raised an eyebrow.
Inside Togepi's mind, however, a completely different plan was forming.
Fine. I'll pretend to obey.
I'll learn everything he can teach me.
And once I'm strong enough… I'll ditch him.
If Gary knew what Togepi was thinking, he would definitely label it as a little scoundrel.
It was basically the Pokémon version of taking benefits first and running away later.
But Gary wasn't worried at all.
Because learning skills from him always came at a price.
Every skill taught increased intimacy.
The more Togepi learned, the more emotionally dependent it would become.
By the time Togepi realized it—
It wouldn't be able to leave anymore.
"Good," Gary said calmly. "Then put this on first."
He took out a Soothe Bell.
"Boke?"
Togepi stared at the bell in Gary's hand. It looked ordinary, but when it was lightly shaken, the sound was gentle and soothing.
When— When—
Togepi curiously took it, shook it twice, and after finding the sound pleasant, casually stored it in its carrying space.
Gary placed his hand on Togepi's head.
This time, he taught two newly exchanged moves—Shadow Ball and Dazzling Gleam.
Both were perfectly compatible with Togepi.
A faint glow surrounded Togepi as the knowledge flowed into it.
"Boke!"
When the teaching ended, Togepi froze.
This time, it felt it clearly.
No doubt.
No illusion.
These skills were real.
It stared at Gary in disbelief, eyes wide.
"Hehe," Gary smiled gently.
Seeing Gary's smile, Togepi instinctively lowered its head.
From the outside, it looked shy.
But in reality, its eyes were filled with scheming light.
No one knew what it was plotting.
Gary glanced at the data silently.
The intimacy had reached 155.
Still 65 points away from evolution.
With the Soothe Bell equipped, that gap could be bridged.
"Next," Gary said, "you'll start getting stronger. Only after you evolve will you be able to master even more powerful skills."
After saying that, Gary directly took out seven high-grade Rare Candies.
One by one, he used them.
Togepi's level surged rapidly.
LV60 → LV61 → LV62 → LV63 → LV64 → LV65 → LV66 → LV67!
"Boke?!"
Togepi's eyes widened in shock.
An overwhelming surge of energy exploded from deep within its body. It tried to suppress it, but it was impossible.
The power of evolution—long sealed—was finally unleashed.
Its intimacy had crossed the threshold.
Its body could no longer resist the change.
In the next instant—
A blinding white light burst forth.
This light was far more intense than that of an ordinary Pokémon's evolution.
Togepi's body was completely enveloped.
Inside the light, its form began to change rapidly.
Its body grew taller. Its proportions elongated. A pair of small wings sprouted from its back, spreading outward. Its neck lengthened slightly, and its overall presence became far more elegant.
When the light finally faded—
A Togetic hovered gently in the air.
[LV67 Togetic / Quasi-Legend]
"Boke…!"
Togetic panicked the moment it regained awareness.
It flapped its wings awkwardly, nearly losing balance.
When it looked down and saw its longer arms and legs—then caught sight of the wings on its back—it completely froze.
Its expression instantly turned distressed.
"What are you panicking about?" Gary asked, confused.
"Boke…"
Togetic looked at Gary with watery eyes, as if it were about to cry.
Gary was momentarily at a loss.
Was it moved?
Or…
Did it not want to evolve?
"…Don't tell me you didn't want to evolve," Gary said with disbelief.
That would be ridiculous.
Evolution couldn't be reversed. Pokémon weren't Digimon.
What was done was done.
Togetic stayed silent for a moment.
Then, without warning, it flew toward the large window in the Pokémon Center.
Gary followed immediately.
Togetic hovered in front of the glass, staring at its own reflection.
It carefully examined itself—its wings, its posture, its new silhouette.
Slowly…
A smile appeared on its face.
A very satisfied smile.
Seeing that, Gary finally relaxed.
He walked up beside it. "So that's it. You were just shocked by how you look now?"
"Boke!"
Togetic nodded quickly.
Then it flew over, grabbed Gary's hand, placed it on its own head, and clearly signaled—
Teach me more.
Gary chuckled.
He didn't immediately teach moves like Defog or Drain Punch. Those could wait until Togetic evolved further into Togekiss.
For now, there was no rush.
Sunyshore Gym hadn't been challenged yet. There was still a chance that the system would reward a Shiny Stone. If that happened, Togetic could evolve into Togekiss naturally.
A legendary-potential Togekiss.
That was worth waiting for.
"For now, that's enough," Gary said. "Get familiar with what you have. And more importantly—get used to flying."
"Boke."
Togetic nodded seriously.
As a newly acquired Flying-type Pokémon, Togetic devoted itself wholeheartedly to learning how to fly.
At first, it was clumsy.
It wobbled, tilted, and occasionally nearly crashed.
But Togetic was incredibly talented.
Before long, it could already fly freely, even if it wasn't yet skilled.
With more practice, true mastery was only a matter of time.
Gary then used three more high-grade Rare Candies, pushing Togetic's level up to 70.
Since it was already close, there was no reason to stop.
A Pokémon with EX Ability and Quasi-Legend potential was absolutely worth heavy investment.
"Boke!"
Togetic was now completely obedient.
The high intimacy value had crushed all its earlier schemes.
Its original plan—to learn skills and then abandon Gary—had quietly disappeared.
Now, in Togetic's heart, Gary wasn't just a Trainer.
He was someone worth sticking with.
Of course, Gary had no idea about Togetic's former plans.
He simply thought Togetic liked playing tricks.
The next morning.
Under the rising sun, Gary mounted Cyclizar once again and headed west, continuing his journey.