Although Chen Shi couldn't personally tell just how useful the Spooky Plate was, one look at Dragapult's excited expression was enough to know that its effects were definitely nothing to scoff at.
Trading a Deoxys he had no use for in exchange for a Plate projection?
Definitely worth it.
Watching Dragapult smugly show off, Metagross and Charizard—Chen Shi's two most reliable battle maniacs—couldn't help feeling a little envious.
Of everyone on the team, those two had the strongest obsession with becoming stronger. They were always enthusiastic about training and never slacked off.
Unfortunately, Dragapult had practically been cheating the entire time.
It had never lacked Legendary-tier resources, and its strength had consistently remained ahead of the others.
Now it had obtained the Spooky Plate on top of everything else.
Metagross and Charizard could already imagine just how much faster Dragapult's strength would grow from here on out.
Noticing their expressions, Chen Shi coughed lightly.
"Dragapult, that's enough. Stop showing off."
Dragapult curled its lips and completely ignored him.
It had just gotten something this amazing.
Was it really too much to let a dragon show off for a while?
Chen Shi rubbed his temples helplessly before turning toward Metagross and Charizard.
"This Spooky Plate is Ghost-type, so it can only go to Dragapult."
"But that Gardevoir also said there are more Plate projections in Hisui."
"When we get there, we'll see if we can find ones suitable for you guys too."
The instant they heard that, Metagross and Charizard perked up.
They looked at him expectantly.
Their expressions seemed to be asking—
Really?
Chen Shi laughed.
"What? You think I'd lie to you?"
Metagross and Charizard hurriedly shook their heads.
Their Trainer might act unreliable from time to time, but he had genuinely never deceived them about something like this.
Everything he had ever promised them, he had fulfilled.
Seeing the two regain their enthusiasm, Chen Shi quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Raising Pokémon was no easy task.
Besides arranging proper training and providing suitable resources and nutrition, a Pokémon's emotional state was also extremely important.
Within a team, you had to treat everyone fairly.
Otherwise, conflicts would inevitably arise.
Although Chen Shi occasionally favored Dragapult a little, he had never deprived his other Pokémon of anything they deserved.
It was just that this Spooky Plate had appeared so suddenly.
It was only natural for the others to feel a little envious.
"Alright, keep eating."
Chen Shi sat back down with Jirachi in his arms.
As he munched on a biscuit, he thought back to what Gardevoir had said.
She had mentioned that several more Plate projections existed in Hisui.
Chen Shi suspected those projections might be in the possession of the five Noble Pokémon of Hisui.
Among the dozen or so Pokémon that had once followed the unnamed hero, five had received blessings from Arceus.
Perhaps those so-called blessings were actually projections of the Plates.
Of course, this was only Chen Shi's guess.
Whether it was true remained unknown.
As for Gardevoir's explanation that he needed to make a public appearance so that certain beings hiding in the shadows would believe there was more than one person in the world who possessed the Power of the Heart...
Chen Shi hadn't said anything nice about it at the time.
But inwardly, he took the matter extremely seriously.
He didn't believe Arceus would go through all this trouble for something meaningless.
Otherwise, when Chen Shi first arrived a thousand years in the past, his first destination might have been Hisui rather than Hoenn.
The only conclusion was that, in Arceus's eyes, what was happening in Hoenn was probably more important.
"..."
For some reason, Chen Shi couldn't shake the feeling that everything about him had already been arranged.
It was just like the first time he had met Rayquaza.
Back then, Rayquaza had suggested that Chen Shi help it Mega Evolve.
Looking at things now, that had probably happened because of what Chen Shi himself was doing in this era.
The same applied to all sorts of other events, both big and small.
Whenever Chen Shi thought about it, he became frustrated enough to want to curse someone out.
But cursing himself felt wrong.
No matter which point in time it was, he was still himself!
As for cursing Arceus...
He didn't have the guts.
That was the Creator God, after all.
Chen Shi hadn't interacted with Arceus much before and had no idea what its personality was like or whether it was easy to get along with.
Better not risk it.
Coincidentally, Togekiss happened to wander over at that moment.
"Toge?"
(That Gardevoir said we won't be able to go back anytime soon. Is that true?)
Chen Shi glanced at her.
"Of course it's true. Why would that be fake?"
"We don't have the ability to travel through time ourselves."
"When we go back isn't up to us. It's up to them."
"So whether we can return depends entirely on when they decide to send us back."
Togekiss immediately looked dejected.
When they had first arrived in this era, she had found everything rather interesting.
But it hadn't taken long before she couldn't stand it anymore.
There was only one reason.
There was nowhere in this era to buy ice cream.
Which meant she hadn't eaten her beloved ice cream in a very, very long time.
How could Chen Shi possibly not know what she was thinking?
He rolled his eyes.
"All you ever think about is food. Can't you think about using this opportunity to get stronger?"
"When we go back, you can make your daughter look at you in a whole new light."
Daughter?
Togekiss froze.
Since when did she have a daughter?
Her bestie Leafeon giggled from the side and reminded her that their Trainer was talking about Cynthia's Togetic.
Togekiss immediately glared at Chen Shi in embarrassment.
That happened ages ago!
Why was he still bringing it up?
Besides, why did she need Togetic to look at her in a whole new light?
What benefit would that even give her?
Just as she was about to protest, Chen Shi waved a hand and interrupted her.
"Alright, shut it."
"Once we go back, you can eat whatever you want."
"But while we're here, all of you need to take advantage of this opportunity and train properly. Understood?"
Since Gardevoir had specifically said this was a good opportunity to increase their strength, Chen Shi suspected they might remain in this era for a month.
Maybe even a year.
And it was precisely because of that single sentence from Gardevoir that Chen Shi, who had originally wanted to finish his mission and return as quickly as possible, no longer felt quite so eager to leave.
If he stayed here for a year or even half a year, that might be enough for Dragapult and the others to reach Champion level.
With strength like that, they could already serve as the Champion of an entire region.
When the time came, the expressions on Cynthia and Steven's faces would definitely be priceless.
After hearing Chen Shi's words, Togekiss and Leafeon both pulled long faces.
Chen Shi chuckled.
"What's with those expressions?"
"You two look like you really don't want to train."
Leafeon didn't dare answer.
Of course she didn't want to!
She didn't even like battling.
All she wanted was to lie somewhere quietly and sleep.
Togekiss, on the other hand, nodded without hesitation and gave Chen Shi the most pitiful look she could muster.
"Toge?"
(If I say I don't want to, can I skip training?)
"What do you think?"
Chen Shi smiled at her without a trace of warmth.
"Toge~"
(I think I can.)
"Mm. And I also think you can stop eating!"
"How about this? From now on, we'll give all your Pokéblocks to Jirachi."
"Jirachi seems to like your special Pokéblocks quite a lot anyway."
"Really?"
Jirachi's eyes instantly lit up.
Togekiss: "....."
...
Pheromosa
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