That evening, inside the Rowan Research Institute.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, Shiro finally let out a sigh of relief. "That was a close call. I almost got exposed."
'Don't those humans already know we exist?' Unown A floated out leisurely. 'Do we still need to hide like this?'
"Only those three know about you. The League is definitely still searching for all of you," Shiro replied with a sigh.
Jan was trustworthy, and since he had retired to Twinleaf Town, there was no reason for him to betray Shiro. Looker and Lance had both accepted payment and agreed to keep everything secret as well.
But the main League still refused to let the matter go.
Just a short while ago, Rowan had asked whether he knew Sinnoh Elite Four member Bertha.
Bertha had unexpectedly called and said she wanted to visit the Rowan Research Institute. Fortunately, Rowan noticed his predicament and used illness as an excuse to politely turn her away for the time being.
Shiro understood that the main League had probably started suspecting where the Unown had gone.
What had been said before about Arceus being dead and impossible to verify was one thing. However, the idea that the Unown represented the world's very origin actually made a lot of sense.
Just four Unown could already imitate a Master-level Legendary Pokémon. According to Unown A's estimation, if there were another eight, they would probably reach the Legendary-level. The Legendary-level was also the rank where most truly powerful Legendary Pokémon stood.
If twelve Unown were roughly equal to a Legendary Pokémon that possessed divine authority, then they would be even more dangerous than ordinary Legendary Pokémon.
To awaken Groudon, one had to find the corresponding orb first, and even after awakening it, controlling it was another matter entirely.
But creatures like the Unown were only Champion-level when scattered, making them easy to control. If enough of them gathered together and broke through into the Legendary-level, there probably wouldn't be any Pokémon capable of defeating them. On top of that, no one knew what additional abilities they might unlock.
If all twenty-eight Unown gathered together... could they really transform into a new Arceus?
Even Hunter A knew how important the Unown were; there was no way the main League knew nothing about them.
Thinking up to this point, Shiro's eyes turned cold.
The Unown absolutely could not be handed over. If the League tried to seize them by force, he was fully prepared to break away and establish his own faction.
Thankfully, with the League now riddled with problems, Goodshow could only try to win him over. Even if he wanted to reclaim the Unown, he simply lacked the ability.
Just dealing with Team Rocket, which had occupied Kanto for years, was already enough to give him a headache, not to mention the growing signs of division among the various regions and the countless factions operating in the shadows.
For now, there was no need to worry about the League making a move against him. Even so, Shiro didn't relax for a single moment.
Hunter A was still alive. The yellow crystal Hunter A had possessed was undoubtedly connected to Uxie. Unown A was completely certain that the crystal had originated from Uxie itself.
'My next priority is finding more Unown.'
Countless thoughts raced through Shiro's mind. Whoever gathered more Unown first would gain overwhelming power before anyone else.
The problem was that he was alone. The locations of the remaining Unown were still unknown. Hunter A, on the other hand, had deep roots and a powerful organization behind him. They were almost certainly searching for the resting places of the remaining Unown as well.
Perhaps it was time for him to build an intelligence network of his own.
Carrying all those worries with him, Shiro finished dinner, completed his usual psychic training, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
The next morning.
Shiro got up early and immediately began training.
The research institute had abundant resources. Pokémon food was never in short supply, and the training grounds were spacious. Every Pokémon clearly understood its own training routine and knew exactly what to do without needing instructions.
These days, Shiro was more focused on improving himself.
Ever since his physical abilities had reached Advanced-level, it felt as though he had hit a bottleneck. His progress had slowed to a crawl. No matter how much he increased the intensity of his training, it made no difference.
'That's the Gym-level bottleneck. You're definitely missing something,' Unown A said in an experienced tone. 'Training isn't just about practicing. You need real battles too.'
Compared to Pokémon that had fought countless battles, Shiro himself had experienced far too few fights where he had to give everything he had. It wasn't nearly enough for him to continue growing.
"Then I should..." Before he could finish speaking, he noticed Unown A's mischievous grin, and his eyelids twitched.
He remembered how Vibrava had once been stuck at the peak of the Advanced-level because of its lack of battle experience.
'Don't tell me... I'm going to have to get beaten up too?'
"Relax. I'll go easy on you."
Grinning wickedly, Unown A transformed into a Machamp.
The Machamp stood over three meters tall. Every muscle across its body was as solid as boulders, and its four arms were thicker than tree trunks while remaining incredibly agile.
Fortunately, Unown A had allowed the other three Unown to remain asleep, so it wasn't at Master-level strength. Otherwise, one punch would probably let Shiro experience being isekai'd all over again.
"I think Bewear would be a much better choice." Shiro still preferred the gentler bear. "Turning into a Machamp... let's not do that."
Although Unown A's real strength was at the Champion-level, after transforming into Machamp, its displayed level reached the lower Elite-level. Still, Shiro felt lucky if he could survive a single punch.
Seeing his hesitation, Unown A eagerly rubbed its hands together. 'It's fine! I don't know any moves. It'll just be a pure manly fistfight!'
"You don't even have a gender," Shiro replied.
'But I transformed into a male Machamp! Take this, Unown Punch!'
The moment it finished speaking, Unown A charged straight at him with unstoppable momentum.
* * *
Half an hour later.
Panting heavily, Shiro sat on the grass while Unown A had already reverted to its original form and lay beside him.
For tactical reasons, Shiro had never intended to exchange punches head-on in a true brawl.
The Machamp Unown A created wasn't a real Machamp. Its body was almost entirely made of psychic energy, and any physical contact was actually interacting with that psychic power. Rather than being punched by Machamp's fist, it was more accurate to say he was being struck by physical shockwaves created through Unown A's psychic abilities.
So Shiro kept his distance, landed a hit whenever he found an opening, and immediately retreated.
Again and again.
'Hah... There's no way you'll improve quickly if you keep fighting like that!' Unown A complained.
Shiro raised a hand. "Show me the simulated status data first."
[Name: Shiro
Type: Fighting/Psychic
Level: 39 (Fighting), 32 (Psychic)
Ability: None
Held Item: None
Moves: ...
Status: Exhausted
Breakthrough Progress: 53/100]
His eyes stopped on the breakthrough progress.
"How much did it increase just now?"
Unown A estimated for a moment. 'About ten or so.'
"That's not bad." Shiro let out a breath. "Five or six more sessions should do it."
Motivation surged within him. Once he had rested, maybe he really should trade punches with Machamp A. Perhaps he could break through to the Gym-level today.
'The human body has its limits,' Unown A said, shaking his head. 'It's just like training your psychic powers. Once you've completed today's training, forcing yourself to continue will only damage your body.'
**
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