Sinnoh, Cynthia

"Not bad. Your speed has improved, and your stamina has surpassed the average level."

Inside the training hall, Jing He looked at the various post-training data displayed by the instruments on the wall and nodded in satisfaction.

"It seems there's a reason Pokémon growth needs to be paired with Energy Cubes. With an ample supply of Energy Cubes, Gastly's growth rate has sped up accordingly."

In Jing He's view, Gastly's condition had originally been "good," but he had never been able to identify the problem. However, with continued training and a steady supply of Energy Cubes, although its condition had not reached "excellent," it had recovered to "very good."

This showed that there was indeed nothing wrong with Gastly. Perhaps it had simply been asleep for too long, so its condition could not recover all at once.

Having reached this conclusion, Jing He quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Koujie?"

Gastly, having finished a round of basic training, floated over to Jing He's side and asked curiously.

How was it? "Not bad."

Jing He did not hide it. The training results were indeed much better than he had expected, and perhaps because of the food's encouragement, Gastly had become even more serious about training than before.

"Koujie!"

Having received affirmation, Gastly let out two strange chuckles, seemingly pleased with its own condition as well.

"Next is move training. We'll continue strengthening Hypnosis."

Jing He took off his coat and walked with Gastly to the center of the training grounds.

As a Pokémon psychologist, he would not boast about other areas, but when it came to Hypnosis, he definitely had more authority than Gastly.

They had actually been carrying out this training for several days already, and the results had been fairly good.

The people Steven Stone had seen during last night's alley fight, foaming at the mouth and trembling unconscious, had been the result of Gastly's Hypnosis.

Normally speaking.

The move Hypnosis used by Pokémon put opponents to sleep, giving one's side more time to act—whether to launch a fierce assault, stack further debuffs on the opponent, apply buffs to oneself, switch Pokémon, and so on.

But in Jing He's eyes, such Hypnosis was still far too "monotonous."

Who said Hypnosis had to be a restraining move and could not deal damage to an opponent?

Psychological damage was damage too.

When other Pokémon used Hypnosis, they merely wanted their opponents to fall asleep quickly. But Gastly's Hypnosis aimed to keep opponents in a hypnotized state for as long as possible. That stretch of time could feel far longer to the mind than one might imagine, and the psychological trauma it could inflict was much greater as well.

It could also add effects akin to psychological trauma, fear, or even trigger stress reactions.

Moreover, this suited Gastly's fondness for scaring others perfectly.

So Gastly studied it very diligently.

Even though it could barely understand some of the professional terms Jing He used.

But that was fine.

When it came to Hypnosis, Jing He could teach it "hand by hand."

"Come on. Use Hypnosis on me." Jing He relaxed his entire body and spoke to Gastly.

"Koujie~~"

Gastly did not hesitate. After many attempts, it had already confirmed that its Hypnosis could not harm Jing He in any way. Jing He could even realize at once that he was in a dream.

In truth, when hypnotizing Jing He, the one who needed to be careful was not Jing He, but Gastly itself.

A few seconds later.

Jing He opened his eyes, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

"You've improved, but it's not enough. Now try mine. Remember, fear of the unknown is true fear. Once all fear becomes reality, there will always be something capable of adapting to it."

Competing with one's own Pokémon in Hypnosis was probably a first in the entire Pokémon World.

Sinnoh, Twinleaf Town.

Professor Rowan's research institute.

An elderly man with a neatly waxed gray-white hairstyle, a serious face, a handlebar mustache, a clean shirt beneath a blue vest, and a tie stood in the courtyard, looking utterly meticulous as he observed several Combee. He seemed to be studying the circumstances under which Combee evolved into Vespiquen.

At that moment, a graceful figure hurried past behind him.

Her dazzling golden hair cascaded like sunlight pouring from a waterfall. A black trench coat outlined her curves, while bright eyes and white teeth adorned her delicate face.

At her side followed a Pokémon that resembled a shark but walked upright on two legs, staying close behind her step for step.

"Cynthia?" Noticing the newcomer, the old man called out in surprise.

He rarely saw such urgency on Cynthia's face. Normally, Cynthia always took things slowly, wearing an air as though everything was under control. She was the sort of girl who could spend an hour choosing an Ice Cream.

"Professor Rowan."

The girl stopped when called and quickly bowed. "Sorry, Professor, I didn't notice you were here—"

Professor Rowan waved a hand, unconcerned. He merely asked curiously, "If I remember correctly, didn't you have a match today?"

"It's already over," Cynthia explained.

Hm? Professor Rowan lowered his head and glanced at his watch.

Eleven thirty-three.

The match had started at exactly eleven. Factoring in half an hour on the road and miscellaneous time spent entering and leaving, the entire match had lasted at most... two minutes? One minute?

A 3v3?

Professor Rowan looked again at the Gible beside Cynthia and quietly shook his head.

No, it had probably been 1v3.

"What's this?"

Only then did Professor Rowan notice that Gible was carrying a basket.

It was filled with crystal-clear Wiki Berries.

"It's like this."

Cynthia then briefly explained how she had consulted a Pokémon psychologist named Jing Zhong Zhi He online that morning, seeking help to treat Feebas's inferiority complex.

"Oh?"

Professor Rowan looked utterly surprised.

He was Sinnoh's Pokémon Doctor, yet he had never heard that Feebas's inferiority complex could be cured.

Was a Feebas without an inferiority complex still a Feebas? Out of curiosity, Professor Rowan followed Cynthia to a small pond in the backyard.

Many Pokémon were active in the crystal-clear pond: Piplup, Bidoof, Shellos, Poliwhirl, Marill... But in a corner of the pond, a Feebas stayed all alone, looking somewhat dull-witted.

It seemed to notice Cynthia's arrival, and at last, a faint glimmer appeared in its eyes.

However, when it saw Professor Rowan beside Cynthia, it quickly lowered its head again.

Cynthia had caught this Feebas while fishing during her first journey as a child, then made it one of her Pokémon. At the time, Gible had still only been a Gible.

During that time, many people had advised Cynthia to give up raising Feebas, but she had remained adamant.

To that end, she had repeatedly searched for ways to "treat" Feebas's inferiority complex.

Unfortunately, Feebas's inferiority complex was nearly impossible to resolve, and no one could offer her any help.

So after learning of this method from Jing Zhong Zhi He, she had been eager to try it.

Her opponent in today's match had suffered because of that.

"Don't be afraid."

Cynthia's gaze softened. She slowly crouched down and took out a Wiki Berry.

"Try this."

"Bloop—"

Only after Cynthia soothed it did Feebas finally poke its head above the water. It blew two bubbles and took a small bite of the Wiki Berry.

A wave of astringency instantly filled its mouth, making its body tremble involuntarily.

"It might be a little astringent, but hang in there."

Seeing this, Cynthia hurriedly comforted it softly. But before she could finish speaking, her eyes lit up.

Because Feebas actually revealed a satisfied expression. Even though it was usually timid, it could not help taking another bite of the astringent Wiki Berry.

It was working? Cynthia turned to Professor Rowan with an inquiring look.

Professor Rowan wore a contemplative expression.

Noticing Cynthia's gaze, he said, "For now... we still can't determine whether it can 'treat' Feebas's inferiority complex. But we can confirm that Feebas does not reject Wiki Berries. It even likes them very much, and it seems to have become a little more active?"

As an authority on Pokémon evolution, Professor Rowan's words were quite cautious.

But he was no less surprised.

Could Wiki Berries really cure a Pokémon's inferiority complex? Or perhaps... he could not quite make up his mind.

But when Feebas ate the entire Wiki Berry, its increased liveliness became obvious to the naked eye.

Such a change was already very good for Cynthia.

It also dispelled the faint concern and doubt she had held in her heart.

"Right." Professor Rowan suddenly said, "What was the name of that person you mentioned, Cynthia?"

"Jing Zhong Zhi He. A few days ago, he published a paper that received commentary from Professor Oak," Cynthia said.

Uh, don't dwell too much on any timeline inconsistencies. Give it a tiny bit of flexibility, please. More follows, more follows!