Two days passed on Yuejian Mountain.
During that time, the cave at the top of the mountain had completely fallen under Raj's control.
The Pokémon inside were like captives—devoured one by one by the Pokémon he was raising.
Haunter's current combat power had reached 840 points, and its evolution value was at 60%, bringing it one step closer to evolving into Gengar.
To be honest, Gengar's temperament fit the role of a villain perfectly.
It looked sinister, its methods were underhanded, and its power potential was strong. Raj planned to train it into the mid and late stages.
Meanwhile, Raj's Shiny Grimer had grown terrifyingly strong. Its evolution value had already hit 99%.
It had absorbed many Pokémon but couldn't max out the evolution value all at once.
Still, Raj was thrilled. The longer it delayed evolving, the more it could merge and increase its combat power.
When the time finally came to evolve, the strength boost would be massive.
Inside the cave, Shiny Grimer suddenly became restless. Its body had grown significantly after days of absorbing other Pokémon.
Some unconscious Paras and Zubat were instantly melted into its body the moment it oozed over them.
But even after that, it didn't stop. It crawled deeper into the cave, toward stronger targets.
Raj hadn't touched the three Clefable that were restrained deeper inside.
He had only ordered Kakuna to use String Shot to bind them so that even if they woke up, they couldn't escape.
Originally, Raj planned to feed those Clefable to Haunter.
But as Shiny Grimer crawled forward, absorbing Pokémon left and right, its combat power skyrocketed. Raj didn't stop it.
[Ding… Shiny Grimer activated Fusion. Successfully fused with Clefable. Combat power +95.
Learned new skill: Acid Armor.]
[Ding… Shiny Grimer activated Fusion. Successfully fused with Clefable. Combat power +85.]
[Ding… Shiny Grimer activated Fusion. Successfully fused with Clefable. Combat power +90.]
[Ding… Shiny Grimer activated Fusion. Successfully fused with Clefairy. Combat power +20.]
Shiny Grimer went on a fusion frenzy. It grew larger and larger, swelling as its combat power soared at an incredible rate. In the blink of an eye, it hit 500 combat power.
Then, the evolution value finally reached 100%, and its body shone brightly—it was evolving.
[Ding… Shiny Grimer is evolving.
Evolution successful. Shiny Grimer evolved into Shiny Muk.
Name: Shiny Muk
Type: Poison
Description: A Poison-type Pokémon that lives in filthy places like sewers and garbage dumps. It can easily squeeze through metal doors and manhole covers. It usually lies low on the ground, making it hard to spot. If stepped on, it attacks violently. It feeds on garbage and pollution.
Skills Learned: Mud-Slap, Mud Bomb, Body Slam, Acid Armor, Dig, Double Team
Special Ability: Fusion
Evolution Value: 0 (Next stage: Filthy Demon King. For Muk to evolve into the Filthy Demon King, it needs a rare opportunity and must consume an enormous amount of waste. Every time one appears, it's a disaster for humans. Wherever it goes, the ground decays, the air becomes polluted, and people fall sick.)
Combat Power: 800 points]
Raj's eyes widened.
"Holy shit, that's way too strong! Eight hundred points of combat power right after evolving?!"
Shiny Muk's body had become colorful and weirdly flashy, but one thing hadn't changed—it was still ugly as hell.
No amount of rainbow shine could fix that.
But when Raj saw the words "Filthy Demon King" as its next evolution… he froze.
He had never seen Muk evolve further in the original anime.
He'd assumed its evolution ended there—unless it mega evolved. But here, it seemed like this world's evolutionary paths held unknown possibilities.
Muk had also gained two new moves after evolving—Dig and Double Team. Both were solid skills that expanded its battle options.
"Gulu, gurgle…"
Shiny Muk oozed up to Raj, making strange noises that gave him a headache.
Luckily, unlike its old disgusting stench, this Shiny Muk carried a faint sweet fragrance. It made things slightly more bearable.
Raj glanced around. Most of the Pokémon in the cave had been devoured.
He shrugged. It was time to move on. He'd stayed here for two to three days. The mountain had nothing left for him.
Outside the cave, Raj checked on Kakuna. Still no signs of evolution. He returned it to its Poké Ball and boarded his airship.
Inside, Naomi was busy mopping the floor and wiping the windows. When she saw Raj, she hurried to greet him with a bright smile.
Seeing her so cheerful made Raj's mood lighter.
Having her around had made the past few days far less boring. But at the same time, something inside him felt off.
"Naomi… this dream of yours… is about to end."
Raj asked her to get off the airship and stood by the cabin door.
For some reason, he felt conflicted. Having a beautiful girl like her around to take care of him wasn't bad.
But deep down, he knew it wasn't right to keep her like this.
"Fuck, I'm really not cut out to be a bad guy," Raj muttered bitterly.
But just as he was about to take off, Naomi shouted from outside.
"Hey! I know the past few days felt like a dream… but I don't regret a thing! I'm happy I met you. Actually, I was awake after Haunter hypnotized me.
I just didn't say anything because… I realized I've fallen for you. I want to stay with you!"
Raj froze.
His mouth twitched slightly. He remembered Haunter hypnotizing her only once at the start. That meant… she'd been fully conscious after that.
"I know you're destined for something big, but… can you tell me how I can meet you again in the future?" Naomi asked tearfully.
The airship had already lifted off.
Raj's first instinct was to stop, pick her up, and bring her with him.
After all, she was sincere. But then reality hit him—his path was dangerous. If she followed him now, it could cost her life.
"Naomi, I'll be competing in the Kanto League. Come watch my match… We'll see each other again then!" Raj called out from the airship.
Naomi's figure grew smaller as the airship ascended, disappearing into the sky.
...
Author's Note:Sorry for not uploading chapters regularly. I'm currently studying for my semester exams, so chapter upload times may vary for now.
From next month onward, chapters will be uploaded on time. Thank you for your patience and support.