Speaking of Kecleon, it was actually quite an unusual Pokémon.
Much like the chameleons from Silas's previous life, Kecleon possessed the special ability to change its body color so that it matched its surroundings.
This ability had even evolved into the Kecleon line's standard Ability, Color Change.
Its effect was that the Pokémon's own type would change to match the type of the move it was hit by.
For example, after taking a Water Gun, a Normal-type Kecleon would become a Water-type Pokémon, allowing it to gain resistance to the same type.
This was an Ability unique to the Kecleon line.
The only Ability somewhat similar to it was the Hidden Ability Protean, possessed by the Kecleon and Froakie lines.
However, Protean caused a Pokémon to change into the same type as the move it used.
One was passive while the other was active, so there was still a considerable difference between them.
It was said that the Scorbunny line, one of the Fire-type starter Pokémon from the Galar region, also possessed an Ability similar to Protean, although there were some subtle differences.
In battle, all three Abilities were extremely useful.
However, compared with the others, Color Change, which required the Pokémon to take damage first, was undoubtedly the weaker one.
Especially when Kecleon was the only Pokémon capable of possessing it.
Kecleon simply wasn't particularly impressive when it came to stamina. After taking a powerful attack head-on, how much strength it would have left to continue battling was anyone's guess.
And the opponent wasn't stupid either.
There were countless Pokémon capable of learning moves outside their own type. Even a Water-type Gyarados could potentially learn Electric-type Thunderbolt and Fire-type Flamethrower.
Whether it used Water-type first and then Electric-type, or Fire-type first and then Water-type, either combination would be enough to leave Kecleon unable to battle.
Even if a Kecleon had exceptionally high potential and possessed Protean as its Hidden Ability, its somewhat pitiful Speed would make changing types before attacking rather awkward.
Type advantage was one thing, but if you couldn't hit your opponent first, it ultimately didn't matter much.
On top of that, Kecleon had no evolutionary form, so these Pokémon weren't particularly common in battles.
That wasn't to say that there weren't powerful individuals among them.
There simply weren't very many.
Even in Double Battles, where Kecleon could use moves such as Skill Swap or Entrainment to exchange Abilities with its partner, its overall strength would still often make it the one dragging the team down.
To put it bluntly, their main purpose was often to show off in front of people who didn't know any better.
The younger twin's purple Kecleon was a perfect example.
After all, normal Kecleon were green.
To people who weren't particularly familiar with this Pokémon, they would simply assume that a purple Kecleon was a Shiny Pokémon.
But that wasn't the case.
This was merely Kecleon using its special ability to change its appearance.
The key to correctly determining whether a Kecleon was Shiny lay in the markings on its belly.
Normal Kecleon had purple-red markings, while Shiny Kecleon had blue-green markings.
No matter how much the rest of its body changed color, Kecleon couldn't change the color of those markings.
Another method was to pry open Kecleon's mouth and check its tongue. A normal Kecleon had a blue-green tongue, while a Shiny Kecleon had a pink one.
Of course, normal people generally wouldn't use the second method to identify one.
While chatting with the twins, Silas followed them aboard the airship.
The luxurious interior, despite its understated appearance, made it obvious that this private airship had cost an enormous amount of money.
After all, they were acquaintances of James. It would have been unrealistic for them not to possess considerable wealth.
"Vulpix, Vulpix!"
"Prinplup, Prinplup!"
The twins, who were just over ten years old, looked extremely eager. The moment they sat down, they began pestering Silas to let him release his Pokémon.
"I don't have a problem with it, but if the two of them don't like you, there's nothing I can do to force them to play with you."
Silas spoke honestly.
That said, based on his understanding of those two Pokémon, they probably wouldn't have any objections.
The two little girls nodded frantically, indicating that they understood.
Silas smiled and tossed out two Poké Balls.
"Come on out, Ninetales and Prinplup."
"Mi!"
"Poch!"
The two Pokémon quickly appeared inside the airship.
The way they looked at the twins was practically identical to how they would look at two playmates.
Seeing this, Silas could only shake his head helplessly.
From the perspective of their mental maturity, these four little ones really did seem to be about the same age.
Ignoring the commotion caused by the two girls and the four Pokémon, Silas turned his attention toward the elderly butler.
The butler bowed slightly.
"Recently, Young Master James's whereabouts suddenly disappeared, so Mr. Sasaki has also become somewhat concerned about his safety.
"We heard that you are able to contact Young Master James, so I was wondering if you could perhaps tell us a little about his current situation."
"I see."
Silas nodded in understanding.
So that was why they had suddenly approached him. James had lost contact with his family.
After all, they were his biological parents.
Although the Sasaki couple were furious that James had run away from his arranged marriage, they clearly still cared deeply about their son.
"I spoke with him once about half a month ago. We haven't really talked since then, but I imagine he's probably carrying out some kind of closed-off mission and simply can't show himself."
Unfortunately, Silas couldn't provide any more specific information either.
"Carrying out a mission?"
The butler pondered this for a moment.
"I understand. Thank you very much for informing me. Please continue to look after Young Master James."
Of course, he knew that James had joined Team Rocket.
More precisely, this wasn't exactly a secret among most of the Pokémon League's upper management.
Quite a few powerful families had secretly used the matter to ridicule the Sasaki family.
Team Rocket might look impressive now, but in the eyes of most people, an organization without truly top-tier combat power was hardly worth fearing.
It was merely a rat hiding in the shadows.
Surely it couldn't suddenly transform into a tiger and start devouring people.
Yet the future heir to one of the League's major families had actually fallen so far as to become a low-ranking member of such a criminal organization.
If the Sasaki family's strength hadn't been formidable, this wouldn't have remained merely a matter of private gossip.
Although the elderly butler didn't know why this rising Trainer, or more accurately, this powerful young Trainer, had such a close relationship with Young Master James, he understood his own position.
His task was simply to serve as a messenger and nothing more.
Silas was also somewhat puzzled.
Given the strength of the Sasaki family, even if Giovanni had sent Jessie, James, and Meowth to carry out some kind of mission, it shouldn't have been possible for James's whereabouts to completely disappear.
"Could Meowth have done it?"
He remembered the device James had mentioned to him not long ago, and his expression gradually became rather strange.
The airship flew quickly, yet smoothly..
Thanks to some unknown piece of technology, almost all the Flying-type Pokémon in the area chose to fly around the airship rather than approach it.
The few that were particularly bad-tempered were gradually driven away by the airship's escorts.
Seeing Silas looking outside, the old butler explained,
"This flight route is exclusive to the Sasaki family, so both safety and efficiency are guaranteed.
"If Master Silas wishes, you may go to the observation deck and enjoy the scenery."
"No need. I'll get some rest. I happened to have trouble sleeping last night."
Silas thanked him before closing his eyes.
When riding on Pidgeot, he dared to look down because he trusted his Pokémon's strength. That didn't mean he was willing to casually walk around an airship.
Unless one day he learned to fly himself, or his physical strength became strong enough to survive a fall from a thousand meters without injury, Silas estimated that his fear of heights wasn't going anywhere.
Seeing this, the old butler silently stepped back a little and stood to the side.
Whatever the guest wanted to do was the guest's business. He only needed to make sure he provided proper service.
The two girls' bell-like laughter echoed throughout the airship.
Judging by the sound of things, they were having a wonderful time playing with Alolan Ninetales and Prinplup.
"Bye, Alolan Ninetales~ Bye, Prinplup~"
Inside the flight station, the twins stood aboard the airship, waving their arms with gloomy expressions.
Their playtime had ended after barely an hour.
If they had known beforehand, they would have asked the airship to fly more slowly.
"Oh, right! And goodbye, Silas!"
After spending so much time saying goodbye to the two Pokémon they had just met, the girls seemed to suddenly realize that there was also a big brother they hadn't said goodbye to.
Silas couldn't help feeling as though his farewell had been added as an afterthought.
After waving goodbye to the twins together with Alolan Ninetales and Prinplup, he recalled the two little Pokémon that had been having far too much fun and headed toward the exit of the flight station.
The salty sea breeze brushed against his face.
"Cianwood City..."
Looking at the island city before him, Silas let out a long breath.
With his arrival here, his journey through the Johto region could be considered to have temporarily come to an end.
Located at the westernmost point of Johto, Cianwood City could be considered an extremely remote city.
If not for its world-famous Fighting-type Cianwood Gym and its current Gym Leader, Chuck, the city's only other major attraction might have been its pharmaceutical industry.
"Come on, come and take a look! The freshest Berry Juice around! Berry Juice brewed by Shuckle! Get some for your Pokémon!"
"Energy-boosting medicine made with our newest formula! A five-hundred-year-old brand you can trust!"
"Attack-enhancing medicine! An essential remedy for anyone challenging Gyms and earning Badges!"
The streets were filled with endless cries from vendors, but their goods were basically limited to Berry Juice and various medicines.
The former came from a Pokémon called Shuckle, the Mold Pokémon.
It could store Berries inside its shell and ferment them into Berry Juice with various special effects, making it quite popular among Pokémon.
The latter mainly came from Cianwood City's Pharmacy, whose history could be traced back five hundred years.
The famous Secret Medicine was the pharmacy's exclusive formula.
"Ha! Ha! Hah! Hya!"
As Silas walked along, a series of powerful shouts echoed through the city's streets.
The residents were completely accustomed to it and didn't even react.
Silas recognized the familiar voice and smiled.
Looking toward the source, he saw a beachside training ground filled with punching bags.
In the middle of it, a man in his thirties or forties was engaged in a battle between two true men with a Machoke.
Well, if one ignored the man's physique, this scene would undoubtedly have been enough to stir anyone's blood and leave them unable to contain their excitement.
His round face, almost devoid of any visible angles, was paired with sharp eyes. His thick beard, bare upper body, and tattered martial-arts trousers gave him the appearance of a hidden master.
If it weren't for his protruding belly ruining the image somewhat, Silas felt that his senior fellow disciple, Chuck, could have passed for a true martial-arts master living in seclusion.
"Ha!"
With a mighty shout, Chuck suddenly exploded forward with a speed completely inconsistent with his physique, directly dodging Machoke's successive chopping attacks.
He raised his left hand to block while repeatedly striking with his right fist.
In the blink of an eye, Machoke's heavily muscled abdomen had taken several blows.
"Mach!"
Although a human's physical strength was relatively low compared to that of a Pokémon, Machoke still let out a pained cry.
Without the slightest hesitation, it immediately took advantage of the brief opening while Chuck recovered and grabbed both of his arms.
Right before Silas's stunned eyes, Machoke twisted and compressed its body, and the two muscular men became entangled before rolling across the ground.
"Crack!"
It was impossible to tell whether the sound had come from breaking bones or cracking rocks.
Machoke had actually used Seismic Toss.
"Thud!"
The next moment, a massive figure was sent flying into the sky before dropping straight down, its head plunging directly into a pile of sand.
"Senior Chuck!"
Even though Silas knew this was probably perfectly normal for him, he still couldn't help shouting in surprise.
"Waaah! That's wonderful, Machoke! I could truly feel all the effort you've put in! That Seismic Toss just now was absolutely magnificent! All your hard work lately hasn't been wasted!"
Almost immediately afterward, Chuck pulled his head out of the sand.
With tears streaming down his face, he embraced Machoke.
Silas instinctively took several steps backward.
Seriously, did they really have to take things this far?
He knew that, according to the theories of martial artists, this kind of training was beneficial for strengthening the bond between a Pokémon and its Trainer.
But could they perhaps skip the final hug?
They were both muscular men, and both were covered in a mixture of sweat and sand.
Wasn't hugging each other like this a little excessive?
Chuck hadn't acted like this back when they were at Professor Oak's Laboratory, either.
Could it be because Professor Oak had been there, so he hadn't dared to act so strange?
"Yo, isn't that Silas? You're finally here."
After embracing Machoke and sharing their feelings for roughly four or five minutes, Chuck finally raised his head and greeted Silas.
"It's been a long time, Senior Chuck. You..."
Silas hesitantly stepped forward to greet him.
Chuck rubbed his head and laughed.
"This is just our everyday, passion-filled training! Want to join us?"
He dropped into a horse stance and demonstrated a series of punches.
"No, no. I'm good. I already finished my morning training before coming here."
Silas repeatedly waved his hands, firmly refusing.
"All right, that's enough. It took him so much effort to travel all the way here. Can't you act more like a proper senior?"
A woman's voice suddenly interrupted them.
Silas turned around.
A beautiful woman who looked to be in her early twenties, wearing an apron with her hair tied up, was walking toward them with a towel in her hand. She was also relentlessly complaining about Chuck.
"Hello, Senior Sister-in-law."
Silas greeted her respectfully.
That's right. The beautiful woman standing before him was Chuck's wife, Yuriko.
Chuck cheerfully took the towel from his wife and wiped his body.
"Oh, we're all family here. No need to be so formal."
Yuriko playfully slapped Chuck on the stomach.
"Just look at you. You're getting older, and you've already developed such a belly.
"You exercise every single day, yet I have no idea where all that training goes. Did you spend all your strength eating sweets?"
The two began openly flirting with each other as though Silas wasn't even there.
Silas fell silent.
Was he perhaps not supposed to be here?
"Burp~"
..
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