Chapter 28: The Radiance of Psychic Power

"Mew~"

After chirping its gratitude, Mew spun playfully in the air several times. Under the shimmer of a faint blue light, the remaining Pokéblocks suddenly levitated. In the blink of an eye, they vanished into the forest along with Mew.

"My head still aches a bit..."

N rubbed his temples wearily. His mind had just undergone intense stimulation; judging by his current cognitive clarity, it was likely that Mew had forcibly awakened his latent mental energy.

While the process was slightly uncomfortable, the results were unimaginably profound.

"Zua!"

Zorua hopped onto the table with a worried expression, scurrying close to N to inspect him from head to toe, searching for any adverse side effects.

That pink cat! What did it do while I wasn't looking?!

The brief exchange from earlier had left Zorua feeling deeply self-reproachful. Within N's team, it considered itself the big brother, yet it had been so utterly powerless against a seemingly frail pink cat.

Seeing its head bowed and its ears and tail drooping in dejection, N couldn't help but find the sight a bit endearing.

"There is still plenty of time. One day, you'll be stronger than it, and you too, Timburr."

"Zua!"

"Tim-burr!"

Both Pokémon nodded with dead seriousness, exchanging a glance that practically sparked with newfound competitive fire. Their previous smooth journey had made them a bit overconfident; from now on, they would train harder than ever.

"Alright, now let's see... exactly what is going on with my own body..."

N slowly removed his black-and-white cap, letting his long, jade-green hair fall behind him. He looked down at his right hand, clenching his fist momentarily before shifting his gaze to the metal fork on the table.

As he focused his mind, a sapphire-blue radiance pooled around his pupils. To his amazement, the cutlery on the table began to levitate eerily.

N froze for a moment, then couldn't help but let a look of pure joy spread across his face.

Psychic powers!

In the Pokémon world, Psychic-type Pokémon were common, but there were also humans capable of wielding such powers themselves. These individuals were generally divided into those born with the gift and those who developed it through rigorous training.

N was already a human with a special ability, the Viridian Power, which meant his constitution was already different from an average person's. Now that his mental strength had been jump-started by Mew, he was essentially no different from the most powerful natural-born psychics.

"This is truly unexpected..."

He marveled at the sensation. He never imagined a day would come where he would become a "Psychic." The feeling of mental expansion was incredibly exhilarating.

Zorua and Timburr stared blankly as N manipulated the objects through the air. The sight of a human doing something so unnatural left both Pokémon utterly dumbfounded!

They had already suspected their master wasn't quite a "normal" human, given his unique affinity that made Pokémon instinctively want to be near him, not to mention the green light that would "whoosh" out of his hands to heal their wounds.

But this was getting ridiculous, he was now using Confusion just like a Psychic-type Pokémon!

Is he actually a Pokémon wearing a human skin?

…

By the end of the day, N, accompanied by Zorua and Timburr, finally emerged from Nichiyo Forest. Though they encountered a vast number of Pokémon along the way, they were mostly Rattata, Caterpie, Pidgey, and Spearow.

While he wished to expand his team, he hadn't found any other Pokémon that caught his eye. Instead, he treated every passing wild Pokémon as a sparring partner, successfully helping Timburr stabilize its strength at Mid Elite level, on the verge of breaking into High Elite.

Upon leaving the forest, the skyline of the nearest city came into view.

Nagatsuki City was the closest urban center to Nichiyo Forest. Compared to the massive commercial hub of Nichiyo City, Nagatsuki was much smaller and less bustling, but it still possessed all the necessary facilities. N wouldn't have to worry about finding a place to stay.

Rather than heading straight for a Gym challenge, he made his way to the city's primary Pokémon Center to hand his two companions over to the person in charge, Nurse Joy.

While his Viridian Power could easily heal physical wounds, it couldn't fully wash away the deep-seated physical and mental exhaustion of travel. Leaving them in Nurse Joy's care was the best option.

"Certainly! I've received your Pokémon. Please come back for them in a little while~"

The young woman, her pink hair styled into two signature loops, replied with a practiced, professional smile. After a long day of work, even the seemingly tireless Joys felt the fatigue. She was definitely in need of a break!

In this brief lull, she couldn't help but steal glances at N's face. She internally marveled at the boy's striking appearance while simultaneously lamenting the fact that she wouldn't get a day off anytime soon. It was a tragic state of affairs!

Still! Getting to see a rare handsome guy like this is a pretty good way to rest the eyes~

"Um, is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, nothing! I just think you're very good-looking! And quite tall, too!"

N felt a bit unnerved by her unabashed staring. He hadn't expected the Nurse Joy before him to blurt out such a startling compliment without a hint of bashfulness.

Aren't the Joys supposed to be shy and demure? Why is this one so direct?

As soon as those words left her mouth, N felt a sudden wave of piercing glares hitting his back. The other Trainers waiting in the Pokémon Center were all looking at him with murderous intent.

Nurse Joy was everyone's goddess!

This guy is just a bit handsome, is he really trying to flirt with Nurse Joy?!