The Pokémon that emerged from the pond silently stared at Silas' group.
Politoed stood proudly at the center while a Poliwrath guarded each of its sides.
Silas immediately scanned the newly arrived Pokémon.
Politoed (M)— Level 54
Ability: Drizzle
Potential: A-
Moves: Rank A Psychic, Rank B Bubble Beam, Rank B Hypnosis, Rank B Water Sport, Rank B Rain Dance, Rank B Body Slam, Rank B Double Slap, Rank C Wake-Up Slap, Rank C Mud Shot, Rank C Belly Drum, Rank C Hydro Pump, Rank C Perish Song, Rank C Swagger, Rank C Encore, Rank C Endeavor, Rank C Mist, Rank C Refresh, Rank C Splash, Rank C Water Pulse, Rank C Haze, Rank C Mind Reader, Rank C Mud Bomb, Rank C Hyper Voice, Rank C Ice Punch, Rank C Brick Break
Poliwrath (M)— Level 52
Ability: Swift Swim
Potential: B+
Moves: Rank B Psychic, Rank B Bubble Beam, Rank B Dynamic Punch, Rank B Ice Punch, Rank B Brick Break, Rank B Hypnosis, Rank B Water Sport, Rank B Rain Dance, Rank C Body Slam, Rank C Double Slap, Rank B Wake-Up Slap, Rank B Mud Shot, Rank B Belly Drum, Rank B Hydro Pump, Rank B Bulk Up, Rank C Mind Reader, Rank C Circle Throw, Rank C Submission, Rank C Encore, Rank C Endeavor, Rank C Mist, Rank C Refresh, Rank C Water Pulse, Rank C Haze, Rank C Mud Bomb
Both Silas and Jason tensed simultaneously.
Silas possessed the System, while Jason could sense strength through his Aura.
If these hidden Pokémon had been hostile from the beginning, they would have completely overwhelmed the group.
Politoed's Drizzle Ability would immediately activate Swift Swim for both Poliwrath, doubling their speed while simultaneously strengthening their Water-type attacks.
Silas also noted their mastery over psychic power, particularly Politoed's.
Silas silently thanked his earlier decision to treat the weaker Pokémon with kindness by sharing food and allowing them to enjoy themselves.
Politoed had most likely been observing the entire time, judging his intentions from the shadows.
Silas had shown them kindness because Frogadier considered the pond Pokémon his friends after their previous visit.
In battle, Frogadier was incredibly bloodthirsty and decisive.
Outside of combat, however, he had gradually become something of a loner, often keeping his distance from the newer members of the team.
Seeing him happily playing with the Poliwhirl and embracing his carefree side brought a smile to Silas' face.
Silas wanted his Pokémon to become warriors, but he also wanted them to enjoy their lives.
Otherwise, what exactly were they fighting for?
Politoed hopped toward Silas before landing directly in front of him.
Although it stood only about 4.5 feet tall, the pressure it emitted was overwhelming.
Silas felt psychic energy reaching toward him and quickly realized that Politoed was attempting to establish a psychic connection.
Sensing no hostility, Silas willingly accepted.
"Are you a human?"
Politoed studied him curiously.
"Yes. Have you encountered my kind before?"
Politoed's gaze immediately sharpened.
"A group of your kind passed through here before. They attempted to kidnap our young."
Its expression turned cold.
"It did not end well for them."
Silas didn't require any additional explanation.
He immediately understood that the previous group of humans had died at the hands of Politoed and the Poliwrath.
Seeing Silas remain silent, one of the Poliwrath joined the conversation.
"Do you intend to avenge them?"
"No. Not at all."
Silas immediately shook his head.
"You had every right to defend your children. I would have done exactly the same."
Silas made sure not to display even the slightest hint of aggression.
Politoed was one of the strongest existences on the entire island.
"Hahahaha! Human, we were only teasing you."
Politoed laughed heartily.
"If you were truly that kind of person, you would never have shown such kindness toward my tribe."
It glanced toward the younger Pokémon happily eating nearby.
"I mainly came because of the food you shared. After eating it, I noticed that my tribesmen experienced an increase in energy. Where can we obtain more?"
Silas quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Crisis averted.
He didn't even mind that Politoed had been testing him. If anything, it was a good sign.
"They're called Pokéblocks. I make them myself."
Silas smiled.
"You could say I am the only producer of this particular variety."
"Would you be willing to share more with us?"
Silas naturally agreed.
To establish a positive relationship with such a powerful tribe, refusing would have been foolish.
He produced 30 additional Pokéblocks from his system space.
Silas barely managed to suppress his laughter.
The moment the Pokéblocks appeared, Politoed stared at him as though he had just performed magic.
Its attention quickly shifted toward the blocks themselves, and its face immediately took on an extremely greedy expression.
Using Psychic, Politoed gathered all 30 Pokéblocks together and prepared to swallow them in a single bite.
"Wait!"
Silas hurriedly stopped it.
"You can't eat that many at once. If it's only the taste you're after, I can produce weaker versions."
He pointed toward the blocks.
"The energy inside these is extremely concentrated. Eating too many could trigger a backlash and actually reduce your strength."
Politoed immediately understood.
Instead of devouring everything, it only consumed 3 before distributing the rest among the other Pokémon.
As the Pokéblocks were handed out, additional Poliwag and Poliwhirl emerged from the pond.
Silas quickly counted them.
The tribe consisted of 17 Poliwag, 11 Poliwhirl, Politoed himself, and his 2 Poliwrath royal guards.
Silas immediately produced even more Pokéblocks so that every member of the tribe could receive at least 1.
Politoed looked at him with genuine appreciation.
It understood that many humans viewed Pokémon as creatures to be enslaved.
Silas, however, appeared both kind and generous.
"Politoed, may I borrow your psychic power to temporarily strengthen my own?"
Creating such a link required complete cooperation from both parties and a thorough understanding of one's psychic abilities.
"What purpose would it serve?"
Silas explained the situation on the island.
He described how the humans belonged to different factions and how conflicts frequently occurred, even among members of the same organization.
Most importantly, he explained that he was worried about his own subordinates because it had been a long time since they had last reunited.
After hearing the explanation, Politoed agreed.
It even invited both Poliwrath to participate.
With Silas' own psychic power combined with Politoed, both Poliwrath, Electabuzz, and Espeon, Silas was able to extend his psychic senses far beyond their normal limits.
The psychic marker he had previously placed on Meowth immediately revealed its location.
They were actually close. Only about a day's travel separated them. Even better, the marker appeared to be moving generally in Silas' direction.
Silas quickly made up his mind.
He would remain at the Poli Pond until the trio drew close enough for him to establish direct communication.
Once his full squad reunited, very few forces on the island would be capable of challenging them.
After completing the search, Silas ended the psychic connection. The energy consumption had been tremendous. Using this technique continuously would be unwise.
That was why Silas only viewed this method as a trump card during battle. Even so, the experience provided valuable insight.
The combined psychic power he had just wielded exceeded the island's normal strength limit.
If he had to estimate, the collective power was roughly equivalent to Level 58.
Silas briefly considered capturing an entire army of Psychic-type Pokémon before combining all of their powers together.
Unfortunately, carrying out such a plan would be incredibly difficult.
Psychic Pokémon possessed exceptionally keen danger senses.
Most would simply teleport away the moment they sensed any threat. Pokémon like Abra could even perform this instinctively while asleep.
Over the next several days, Silas allowed his Pokémon to relax. Only Monferno, Vibrava, Ursaring, and Excadrill continued training, and even then, their sessions weren't particularly strenuous.
Every day they spent time absorbing energy from the various resources Silas had gathered throughout the island.
When they weren't meditating, they relaxed and played alongside the pond Pokémon.
Silas himself gradually became quite familiar with the Politoed clan.
Every day he provided them with additional Pokéblocks, steadily strengthening the relationship between them.
Politoed even helped Electabuzz improve his mastery over psychic techniques.
For example, Politoed demonstrated how Psychic could be used to compress Hydro Pump into a deadly piercing attack.
Electabuzz had already applied a similar concept to Charge Beam.
Under Politoed's guidance, however, he successfully adapted the same principle to Thunder.
The result greatly improved the move's accuracy while simultaneously increasing its attack power.
Despite how peaceful life at the pond had become, Silas remained worried about Jessie, James, and Meowth.
Judging by the distance of the psychic marker, they should have been much closer by now.
Although the marker continued moving toward him, it wasn't approaching in a straight line.
Instead, it constantly changed directions as though avoiding something.
It was possible they were simply traveling while training at their own pace.
After all, they weren't intentionally heading toward Silas.
However, it was equally possible that they were being pursued and had been forced to prioritize escape.
Silas had confidence that the trio would survive.
Even so, he wanted to confirm their safety himself.
"You're going after them, aren't you?"
Politoed admired the concern Silas displayed for his subordinates.
In many ways, it saw itself reflected in him.
A king was nothing without his subjects.
"I have to. They're close enough now, and with Tropius, I should reach them in less than a day if we hurry."
Silas then turned toward Jason.
"I want you to remain here and be prepared for anything. If someone is chasing us, I'll lead them back here so we can finish the battle decisively."
"You truly think I'll allow you to turn my home into a battlefield?"
Politoed immediately rebuked Silas.
At the same time, 1 of the nearby Poliwag began speaking to Politoed, seemingly pleading on Silas' behalf.
Politoed sighed.
"Against my better judgment, my son has convinced me."
It glanced toward one of the Poliwrath.
"One of my royal guards will accompany you to ensure everything goes smoothly."
Its expression became serious.
"Do not make me regret this decision."
"My king, I shall protect them."
The Poliwrath stepped forward confidently.
"With my strength, everything will be fine! Hahahaha!"
It was the same Poliwrath that had jokingly threatened Silas several days earlier.
"Thank you. I won't forget this."
Silas produced several additional Pokéblocks and offered them to Politoed as a gesture of gratitude.
Politoed simply nodded before leaping back into the pond.
After several minutes of persuasion, Silas finally convinced Poliwrath to enter a Poké Ball.
It only agreed after Silas promised to release it immediately afterward and never lock the ball, allowing Poliwrath to leave whenever it wished.
The arrangement would significantly reduce the burden placed upon Tropius.
Only Silas and Espeon would remain on her back, allowing her to maintain maximum flight speed.
Espeon accompanied him primarily as protection in case they encountered that homicidal Altaria or another equally dangerous Flying-type.
After packing up camp and returning the rest of his Pokémon to their Poké Balls, Silas mounted Tropius, and they departed.
With the assistance of Tailwind and Dragon Dance, Tropius' travel speed became astonishingly fast.
4 hours passed without incident.
The dense forest canopy made visual observation difficult, but Silas continued monitoring the surroundings through his senses.
Suddenly, he detected something approaching through the sky in the distance.
Not wanting to take any chances, Silas had Tropius come to a stop before releasing Electabuzz, Espeon, and Poliwrath from their Poké Balls.
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Thanks for the continued support on my first fanfic!!
Moving forward, every 50 Power Stones, I will release a bonus chapter.
I will also be releasing bonus chapters for milestones. The next ones are 300k views and chapter 200.
Finally, I will be releasing 3 extra chapters once we reach 10 reviews. 5 star reviews are appreciated but not required, I want honest feedback so I can improve.
Once again, thanks for all the support and feedback!