Mythical Pokémon Era: Global Ascension

The light faded.

A petite, snow-white figure appeared before Roy, several shards of eggshell still clinging to her body. "Awoo~"

She made a soft, ethereal sound and shook her head, flinging away the eggshell fragments to reveal her true appearance.

Vulpix resembled a fox, though her features were rounder and cuter than those of an ordinary fox. Her fur was as pure as snow, with only her limbs showing a pale blue hue. Though she was called "Vulpix," her fluffy tails could not be clearly divided into six separate strands. They looked more like six cloud petals gathered together...

She raised her head and swept her blue-to-white gradient eyes across Roy, Riolu, and Squirtle...

Then, Vulpix's gaze settled completely on Roy.

Pokémon would regard the first creature they saw upon hatching as someone to depend on like a parent. For Vulpix, she had sensed Roy's Aura Power ever since before she was born. When her consciousness had nearly faded away, Roy had saved her... It was no exaggeration to say that he had been the first ray of light she saw in her endless darkness.

So Vulpix could never mistake Roy for someone else. She took a few quick steps and leaped straight into his arms... So light...

That was Roy's first impression when he caught Vulpix.

The average Vulpix stood 0.6 meters tall. Even a newly hatched Vulpix was usually around 0.4 meters tall. But the Little Vulpix in Roy's arms had barely reached 0.3 meters, and she was far lighter than others of her kind... Even after growing up, she would probably struggle to reach the average.

What was this?

A frail beauty?

A white-haired Vulpix loli?

Curled up in his arms, the little Pokémon's entire body was not even as big as Roy's stomach.

Feeling her bones, so soft that he was afraid they might break at any moment, Roy finally gained a rough understanding of what Latias meant by "poor physical condition."

Vulpix greatly enjoyed Roy's embrace and petting. Her tiny nose sniffed hard at his scent, firmly memorizing it. Whenever Roy stopped petting her, she would take the initiative to tuck her face beneath his palm, gazing at him expectantly as her marshmallow-like tails swayed back and forth.

Sometimes, when the petting made her itchy, Vulpix would rub Roy's skin with her little paw pads and let out dissatisfied, babyish "awoo, awoo" noises.

—Who could possibly resist that?

Scientific research had proven that even the toughest straight man had a girl's heart somewhere inside.

In his previous life, Roy had loved petting cats the most. In this life, he had originally preferred dogs.

Now, he instantly defected and became a devout believer in the adorable deity Vulpix. "Squirtle!"

Squirtle's eyes lit up, and he cried out, wanting to hug Vulpix too.

Riolu said nothing, but expectation showed in his eyes as well.

Smiling, Roy introduced Vulpix to her two older brothers. While the three Pokémon got acquainted with one another, he opened the System panel.

Pokémon: Vulpix (Alola Form)

Gender: Female

Type: Ice

Ability: Snow Warning

Moves: Powder Snow, Tail Whip, Ice Shard, Charm, Baby-Doll Eyes, Psycho Cut

Overall Evaluation: E+

Popularity Points: None

"An E+ Overall Evaluation? Is that right?" Roy felt the rating was too high.

As a Pokémon that had only just been born, Vulpix indeed knew a ridiculous number of moves. But her physical condition was incredibly weak. She had no close-combat ability at all, and even running a couple of steps was difficult for her... How many of those moves could she even use?

She would probably be exhausted after using two moves.

And she still had an E+ rating?

Confused as he was, Roy could not exactly have a newborn Vulpix go fight someone else just to test it. He could not bear to mistreat this little angel who had only just entered the world.

Putting his doubts aside for now, Roy looked over at the three little ones.

Riolu was holding Vulpix in his arms, and the two of them were watching Squirtle make funny faces.

Squirtle fully displayed the outstanding talents of an internet meme star, using absurdly comical expressions to make Vulpix laugh nonstop.

At first, Roy merely found it amusing. But when he saw Squirtle rolling around on the ground to make Vulpix laugh, getting himself covered in dust, and still enjoying every second of it, he froze.

...Look at this Squirtle. He was acting like a dog.

Wait.

Vulpix really was adorable, especially Roy's Vulpix. Her appearance was exceptional, and she was so petite... If Pokémon had a community of loli lovers, they would definitely go wild over her.

But Vulpix's charm should not have been enough to turn a Squirtle she had just met into such a shameless simp, right?

At this age, Vulpix should have had the kind of cuteness that resembled a child's more than anything else.

A faint suspicion formed in Roy's heart. He recalled Squirtle and Riolu into their Poké Balls, then carried Vulpix toward the temple.

After hearing Roy's account in the temple, Latias floated around in a circle. After thinking for a while, she offered a guess. "It should be charm."

"Charm?"

Latias nodded. "Since you have mastered Aura Power, you should know about Mind Energy, right? Return, resentment, revenge—those are all moves that can only be used by drawing upon emotions, with Mind Energy as their driving force."

"Actually, Fairy-types are the best at manipulating the mind. Charm, Disarming Voice, Draining Kiss, Aromatic Mist, Baby-Doll Eyes..." Latias behaved like a young girl, but her experience ran deep as she spoke at length.

"On the surface, these moves appear to be driven by Fairy energy. But the prerequisite for them to have an effect is to captivate the opponent with one's charm, making them like you and unable to bear hurting you." "Fairy energy is very good at stirring the hearts of others, shaking their will, and causing confusion... But if the user lacks enough charm, the effect will be greatly reduced." Latias looked at the Vulpix in Roy's arms, and a trace of affection appeared in her eyes.

"After I blessed Vulpix, her Mind Energy became exceptionally pure. All living beings yearn for purity in their hearts, so Vulpix can easily stir the hearts of other creatures." "Combined with her outstanding Inner Focus talent, her own adorable charm, and the amplification of Fairy-type Moves, Pokémon fighting Vulpix can easily lose their will to fight." "The weaker ones will surrender outright."

"The stronger ones will still find themselves unable to help holding back."

"With all these factors combined, this little Vulpix naturally carries an air of enchantment."

Latias's analysis showed Roy a path he had never considered before.

Improve Vulpix's own charm...

Study Fairy-type Moves and use Fairy energy to enhance that charm...

Train powerful Inner Focus to shake the opponent's will...

Following this path, Roy could almost see a nine-tailed fox capable of enchanting all living beings about to be born.

At that moment, he finally understood why the system had given her an E+ rating.

Pokémon below E+ would likely defect instantly under the charm of Vulpix's Baby-Doll Eyes or Charm, surrendering without even fighting.

"Uh..."

Putting himself in the other side's shoes, if he were Vulpix's enemy and saw Squirtle defect on the spot, he would definitely be furious enough to want turtle meat.

"This fighting style is so dirty..."

The Difference Between Pokémon Battles and Pokémon Combat

The tactical potential of Vulpix's path of enchantment made Roy's heart stir.

The dirtier the tactics, the more he liked them. When he played games, his favorite thing had always been messing with his opponent's mindset. People had even given him the nickname "Sunny Boy."

Of course, a newborn Pokémon was physically fragile and could not immediately begin training. That was even more true for this Vulpix, who had been born with such a weak body.

...Childhood should be a little easier.

Still, Vulpix's foundation had to be built properly.

After finishing today's Calm Mind practice at the temple and returning to the house, Roy exchanged for Energy Cubes specially customized for Vulpix.

The main focus of this Energy Cube formula was increasing "beauty," Ice-type energy affinity, and Inner Focus. So-called beauty referred to a Pokémon's appearance: harmonious features, glossy fur, body feel, and temperament... "What a pity this world doesn't have Pokémon Contests. It only has Pokémon beauty pageants." Roy sighed regretfully.

"Otherwise, Vulpix could develop in the direction of Pokémon Contests..." "Awoo~~" Vulpix also let out a regretful cry. The little one naturally could not understand what Roy was saying, but seeing him sigh made her want to sigh along with him.

If Roy was happy, she would be happy too.

Amused, Roy picked Vulpix up and held her against his chest with one arm. He spread open his other palm and brought the Energy Cube to her mouth. "Here, eat."

The little one sniffed it. First, she licked Roy's palm with her tiny tongue in a show of affection, then swallowed the Energy Cube... In an instant, the rich, vivid flavor of the Energy Cube made Vulpix reveal an intoxicated, blissful expression, and her little face turned rosy red.

To celebrate Vulpix's birth, Roy decided to give Riolu and Squirtle the day off so they could rest.

Yet despite the rare holiday, Roy discovered that there was nowhere to go for fun.

The town was only so big, and it was considered a "historical relic," so it was impossible to build entertainment facilities there.

The forest outside town was even less suitable.

When Hu Jun learned that Roy wanted to go out and take a look, he sternly warned him. "Good. I'll take this chance to tell you something."

"Some wild Pokémon have gentle temperaments, but most are untamed and full of vigilance and hostility toward humans." "Battling wild Pokémon is completely different from every battle you have encountered so far..." "Let me ask you this: if you wanted to completely kill a Trainer, what would be the best method?"

Roy paused, then quickly realized something and gave the answer.

"...Assassinate the Trainer himself?"

"Correct." Hu Jun nodded. "Once a Trainer dies, their Pokémon will fall into complete chaos and become a scattered mess. Some Pokémon may even commit suicide out of grief. Even if it is not an assassination and instead a direct battle, the first priority is still to kill the Trainer."

"Isn't there a saying? To capture thieves, first capture their leader."

"A Trainer is the 'king' of a group, while Pokémon are the generals and commanders carrying out their respective roles. If the king dies, the group will fall apart."

"Every battle you have experienced so far has merely been a Pokémon battle, a contest protected by rules, an exhibition match meant to display strength. Real battles are far less regulated and far more brutal—"

"Pokémon combat!"

Roy had known that Trainers had a high mortality rate, but he had never known why it was so high... The authorities had not publicly disclosed the exact causes of death, perhaps because they feared the public would become frightened of Pokémon power and develop panic toward Trainers as a group.

If Pokémon wanted to kill an ordinary person, one move really was enough...

Roy was different. He possessed Aura Power, so he had the ability to protect himself even against Pokémon. With Aura Power strengthened to its limit, ordinary Pokémon could not even get close to him.

But how were ordinary Trainers without supernatural abilities supposed to handle this kind of combat?

Seeing that Roy was not afraid and instead wore a thoughtful expression, Hu Jun smiled in satisfaction. "Normally, your university teachers would explain this when you take wilderness training courses, but today, I'll make an exception and tell you about it."

Hu Jun spread his hands, signaling Roy to look at him.

"Do you think I'm threatening right now? Could you easily assassinate me?"

Roy examined Hu Jun. Without releasing a Poké Ball, Hu Jun carried none of the imposing presence of a Professional-level Trainer. He was just an ordinary bespectacled middle-aged man.

To be safe, Roy also scanned him with Aura Power. After confirming that Hu Jun possessed no supernatural ability, he shook his head. "...No. As long as you don't get the chance to throw a Poké Ball, Riolu could take you out instantly."

Hearing this, Hu Jun gave a mysterious smile. The next moment, the shadow beneath his feet suddenly twisted and warped.

The shadow wrapped around Hu Jun's entire body as black energy surged forth, as though he had put on a coat of energy.