Chapitre 15: Chapter 15
Emmet stepped out of the hospital, suddenly realizing the wing he had been staying in was specifically managed by the Indigo League. He took note of the high-security measures and discreet insignia, indicating that this was no ordinary healthcare facility.
As he was about to leave the building, the receptionist called out to him. "Mr. Emmet, wait a moment, please. Professor Oak left something for you." She handed him an envelope containing a card and a note. "He was quite specific that you should get this as soon as you were discharged."
"Thank you," Emmet said, taking the envelope and promptly reading the note. It detailed that he was to use the card for essential supplies and new gear. "The card has a high spending limit, but don't splurge on frivolities," Oak had written. "I'll be consulting with some experts to find specialized food for your Pokemon. If I'm successful, I'll be in touch."
As he pocketed the card, Emmet couldn't help but feel lucky to have such a fantastic sponsor. Yet, he understood that Oak's level of support was colossal due not only to his intellectual contributions but also because he was the Indigo League's first and strongest champion.
Next, Emmet embarked on an all-out shopping spree. "I'll take that backpack—the deluxe model! And give me a crate of Hyper Potions, a dozen Ultra Balls, and the new PokeGear from Silph Co! Oh, and don't forget the high-grade Antidotes and burn salves," Emmet rattled off his shopping list, barely taking a breath. A silent "Rest in Peace" was dedicated to his old, torn backpack as he tossed it aside.
The shop vendor's eyes widened as Emmet continued to pile items onto the counter. A greedy glint appeared in his eye. "Would you like to add some Paralyze Heals to that? Or maybe some Revives? We've got a special on Repels!"
Passersby stared in awe and whispered among themselves as they watched Emmet empty shelves like a kid in a candy store. Rumors started floating around, "Who is this kid? Is he some sort of young millionaire?"
Meanwhile, Professor Oak felt a sudden, inexplicable chill run down his spine while engrossed in his research. He paused and muttered, "I have a feeling my credit card is taking a beating right now".
As the sun set, Emmet finally wrapped up his shopping extravaganza. "So this is how it feels to be rich," he thought, beaming. "I could get used to this!"
Sitting on a park bench, Emmet decided to cap off the day by sharing some ice cream with Firefly, Sylveon, and Cleffa. "Here you go, guys. This one's on me," he laughed as he handed out scoops of Poke-flavored ice cream. "We've earned a little treat, don't you think?"
Cleffa, eyes twinkling, managed to stuff an astonishing amount of ice cream into her tiny stomach. She puffed up like a balloon, making Emmet and the other Pokemon chuckle at the adorable sight.
Cleffa, now comically bloated, yawned and snuggled into Emmet's arms, quickly drifting off to sleep. As he looked at his Pokemon, he noticed how their spirits seemed lifted, their bodies healthier, and their stress levels significantly reduced from the harrowing experiences they'd been through.
Emmet returned to the Pokemon Center, opting to rent a room for two more days. "I'll be staying for a couple more days. I think we all could use a little more rest before hitting the road again," he told the nurse at the counter. "Oh, and if Professor Oak calls or if there are any packages for me, please let me know immediately."
Lying on the double bed and surrounded by his peacefully sleeping Pokemon, Emmet found himself deeply engrossed in contemplation. His thoughts spiraled around the concept of Efficiency Mastery (EM) and how he had been applying it—or failing to—in his journey so far.
A realization dawned on Emmet: EM was not just a tool for rapid progress in areas he was already familiar with; it could also guide him into entirely unexplored avenues. This insight shifted his mental gears, pulling him out of his comfort zone.
Emmet recalled the time he had witnessed Clefable's Heal Pulse. Through EM, he had rapidly decoded and replicated the move. Although his own rendition was substantially weaker, it had been crucial in a life-or-death moment. Clearly, this was an area worth further investigation and development.
Then there was the matter of the Rock energy. Initially deemed as a mere distraction to kill time, it had saved him and his Pokemon from a collapsing tunnel. He thought, perhaps if he had committed to mastering that energy, he could have been more effective against the Sneasel assault that followed.
Another realization struck him; EM could be utilized to systematically increase his energy reserves. Until now, his amplified Psychic energy reserves were a byproduct of his exercises for control over it, not the result of any deliberate strategy.
Emmet likened the situation to a martial artist solely focused on techniques, neglecting the weightlifting and conditioning. Sure, some muscle would be gained, but he'd be leagues behind someone who incorporated a balanced regimen. EM needed to guide him in this balanced development.
He extended this line of thinking to his Pokemon. While they were more advanced than their peers in both physical and elemental aspects, what else had he contributed to their growth? The disheartening answer was: not much.
Emmet felt a pang of regret thinking about Firefly, his Charmander. He had taught her Quick Attack, but what other abilities could she have mastered under his guidance? If she had learned something unconventional but useful like Harden, even an inferior version of it, she might have better withstood Weavile's attacks and not be almost skewered by its Poison Jab.
He suddenly felt foolish for not considering status-boosting moves. His team had none. Zero. Nada. They had focused solely on offense and defense, entirely overlooking tactics that could augment their attributes temporarily but significantly.
Why was he limiting himself this way?
Self-reproach flooded Emmet's mind. He'd been given a golden ticket to reach unimaginable heights, and here he was, wasting it touring the basement. This was unacceptable, especially knowing that world-ending threats loomed on the horizon.
Lastly, thoughts of Ash Ketchum crept into his mind. Ash was a magnet for world-shaking crises, and if he faltered in even a single event, the consequences could be apocalyptic. This realization was the final push Emmet needed to reevaluate his approach to mastering Efficiency Mastery, for his own sake and potentially, for the sake of the world.
Emmet finally drifted off to sleep, his mind a myriad of thoughts about how to refine his use of Efficiency Mastery (EM).
His sleep was far from restful, though. He woke up several times, haunted by flashbacks from the disastrous events at Mt. Moon. His nightmares featured monstrous Sneasels and collapsing tunnels. The experience was so vivid, he could almost feel the cold of their icy grip. This wasn't just a one-time ordeal; these nightmares had been haunting him regularly ever since the incident.
He huffed in annoyance each time he woke up, trying to shift his position without waking his Pokemon, nestled beside him.
Looking over at his Pokemon, Emmet found some solace. They seemed to be coping better than he was. Maybe it was a Pokemon thing, but he was grateful. Cleffa occasionally showed signs of sadness, but she was bouncing back relatively quickly. Still, he knew he wasn't getting over this as quickly as they were.
The thought occurred to him: It was weird how Pokemon understood human language so well yet acted like infants in other respects. He was sure there was some professor somewhere who had written a dissertation about this. But in that moment, he wasn't curious enough to get up and look for answers.
His gaze met Sylveon's—one eye half-open, watching him. Clearly, she was worried. He shook his head. He wasn't ready to unpack all that, not even to his Pokemon.
Getting up carefully to avoid disturbing his Pokemon, he headed to the bathroom to prepare for a new day. He had plans. First, he needed to book his gym challenge, and then hustle to Vermilion through the underground pass, bypassing the annoying checkpoint lines at Saffron City.
In the bathroom, he caught his reflection in the mirror and gasped.
Before their trip to Mt. Moon, he had been putting on muscle. It wasn't like he was becoming a bodybuilder or anything, but the changes were evident to someone who scrutinized himself daily. He had considered it a bonus side effect of his EM-enhanced life.
But after the recent hardships, he had lost all that muscle mass. He looked pale, gaunt, and worn. Whatever physical progress he had made since acquiring EM powers seemed to have reversed.
Now, almost miraculously, he looked rejuvenated. His muscles had returned, and even his complexion looked healthier. He knew that medical treatment couldn't explain this rapid recovery. "Must be EM," he concluded. Though, he couldn't ignore the dark circles under his eyes, a testament to his restless nights.
"Am I getting better at this EM thing without even trying?" he mumbled to himself, pondering if the spontaneous physical recovery was another facet of EM he hadn't considered. Was it possible that his skills were evolving on their own? Could the act of using the EM be subject to the effects of EM itself?
Before he could delve deeper into this train of thought, a loud alarm erupted from his new PokeGear back in the bedroom. "Oh crap, the alarm," he thought, sprinting back into the room to disarm it before Firefly decided to eliminate the noise with a burst of flames.
That was close—way too close. Firefly was about to unleash a mini-inferno on the PokeGear. Emmet lunged for it just in time, yanking it away from the fire-breathing dragon-in-miniature. Firefly huffed and shot him a dirty look.
"Wait a second, was that almost a Fire Fang?" Emmet exclaimed, astonished at the unintended and unexpected training session that just took place.
Firefly gave him a pensive look, as if considering whether to confirm or deny. Ultimately, she seemed to decide it wasn't worth her energy, shrugged, and nestled back into her cozy spot for more sleep.
"Lazy ass," Emmet chided. In response, Firefly flicked a small ember his way. Her eyes were still shut, but her aim was—well, let's call it "unique." Emmet moved to dodge but found himself hit squarely in the rear. Any reports of a high-pitched, girlish scream are strictly exaggerated, thank you very much.
Sylveon and Cleffa couldn't contain themselves. They erupted into giggles, rolling around in amusement. Cleffa took it a step further and did a mini-performance, imitating Emmet's frantic moves to smother the ember on his butt. She nailed it, including the part where Emmet—completely ungracefully—slapped his own behind. The performance was a hit, at least among the Pokemon crowd.
"Har har, very funny, guys," Emmet retorted, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly at his Pokemon's antics.
Shaking off the laughter, he wrapped up his morning routine—teeth, face, and a quick check that he hadn't missed any Pokeballs. Then, it was off to the Pokemon Center's cantina for a quick breakfast before the day's Gym challenge.
As he spooned up some kind of porridge that tasted as absentminded as he felt, a familiar feminine voice rang out behind him: "Emmet?"
Whirling around, he found himself looking at a beautiful girl with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a light blue tank top and a red skirt. It took zero seconds for him to recognize her.
"Leaf! Wow, it's been too long!" Emmet greeted her with a warmth reserved for old friends, which she indeed was.
The last time they'd spoken was just a day before he set out on his journey. They'd always had this fun rivalry going, born from their opposing tastes in Pokemon. Leaf had always been set on Bulbasaur for reasons unknown, while he was all about the fire starters. And for some reason, that had always annoyed her.
Leaf slid into the seat next to him, her eyes locking onto Sylveon with an intensity that made the Fairy Pokemon tilt its head inquisitively.
Then, without warning, Leaf let out an ear-piercing, girly squeal and lifted Sylveon into a bone-crushing hug, smothering her in a flood of kisses. "You're so cuuute!"
Both Emmet and Firefly burst into laughter at the spectacle. Sylveon looked like she was struggling to breathe in Leaf's iron grip. Meanwhile, Cleffa's eyes darted back and forth between her trainer and the smothered Sylveon, as if telepathically asking, "Aren't you going to save her from this monstrosity?"
Emmet stared as Leaf halted her squealing rampage, put a placid-looking Sylveon back on her lap, and resumed eating like she was in an eating contest. Even Firefly looked both bemused and impressed.
"So, how's the journey been treating you?" Leaf asked, not missing a beat as she took another bite of her sandwich.
"It started off great," Emmet sighed, "until I got the brilliant idea of training on Mt. Moon." As he said it, a collective shudder ran through him and all his Pokemon, which Leaf didn't fail to notice.
She looked worriedly at him and softly laid her hand on his. He hadn't realized he was shaking until he felt her touch. "Hey, do you wanna talk about it?"
Taking a deep breath, Emmet felt a surprising flow of Fairy Energy channel through him. He'd done that unconsciously, calming his racing thoughts. Sylveon looked at him, her eyes narrowing with confusion.
"I'm not ready to talk about it," he admitted, and, eager to steer away from the topic, asked, "So, how's your journey going?"
Leaf paused for a moment, making it crystal clear she noticed his evasive maneuver. But she let it slide. "Oh, you wouldn't believe how exciting it's been!"
"My Bulbasaur evolved fighting off a flock of Spearow, and I have a Pidgeotto that's a pacifist, can you believe it? Oh, and I caught this adorable Oddish! And—wait for it—I even have a Magikarp, but training it is another story," she animatedly said.
Emmet started to zone out. Leaf was doing her usual rambling. He loved her enthusiasm, but his attention span was not designed for monologues.
"Look, Leaf, I've gotta book my fight at the Cerulean Gym for the Cascade Badge if I hope to get a battle today," Emmet blurted, snapping back to the here and now while she was talking something about how she heard some crazy guys would use Bellsprouts to-. Wait, what was she on about again?
"I got mine yesterday!" Leaf beamed, her eyes lighting up. "Would you mind if I tag along? I'd love to watch your fight," she asked, her voice tinged with a shyness he found unusual.
He found her request a bit strange but shrugged it off. "You're welcome to join, but I can't promise I'll get to fight today. Don't want you to waste your time," he cautioned her.
Leaf giggled. "Don't worry about it, I'm in no rush. And you know, when I booked my fight yesterday, the guy at the desk mentioned they're having a slow week. You have a good chance of fighting today. Plus, it's always fun to watch someone else sweat for a change!"
After breakfast, they left the Pokemon Center. Emmet took a brief detour to the front desk to cancel his room reservation for an extra night; he planned to be on the road by sundown.
Leaf watched the interaction with amusement. "You're pretty confident about snagging that Cascade Badge, huh?" she grinned.
Emmet shot her a mysterious smile. "Just you wait and see, Leaf. Wait and see."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone