Chapter 11: The Decision

Chapter 11: The Decision

Leaving his wife to look after Machoke, Barry returned to the ranch with his son and the Mareep named Lucien.

Though last night's harrowing events had left him physically and mentally exhausted, life had to go on. The Pokémon on the ranch still needed care. It was said that the League would provide some financial compensation to victims of such incidents, which would at least temporarily ease the burden on the ranch.

As Barry mulled things over, he recalled the extraordinary performance of the strange Mareep from the night before and couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

"I've raised quite a few Mareep on this ranch, but I've never seen one with such natural aptitude."

There were few Pokémon who could spontaneously comprehend the move Hidden Power. Judging by the effects he had witnessed, this particular Mareep had awakened the formidable and rare Dragon-type power—an extraordinary occurrence.

Furthermore, Mareep as a species were gentle by nature, disinclined to battle, and this one had never been trained in the ways of combat, having lived a peaceful, free-range life since birth. Given the peril of yesterday's situation, it would have been impressive for it to simply avoid fleeing or fainting from fear. Yet, it had managed to break through the limitations of its kind, act decisively, and seize the critical moment to save Machoke.

Even Pokémon carefully bred by professional trainers might not achieve such a feat.

This thought stirred a longing in Barry's heart. "It's not too late. This Mareep is still young—if I could train it, its future would be limitless."

But then, reality struck. The ranch was already struggling to meet the daily training needs of Machoke; the prospect of raising another, even more gifted Mareep seemed overwhelming. Like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, Barry's dreams were thoroughly doused.

"Indeed, to waste this talent here would be a real tragedy. Even the Mareep itself would not accept such a fate!"

Clenching his teeth, Barry made a difficult decision in his heart.

…

Lucien, meanwhile, was unaware of any of this. He was busy experimenting with his newly acquired move.

Standing quietly on the vast grassland, Lucien carefully controlled the flow of energy within his body. Wisps of electricity danced across his pale yellow fleece.

A faint crackling sound arose as the orange, crystal-like orb at the tip of his tail glimmered. Several bright electromagnetic waves streamed from his wool, dispersing in all directions.

"Thunder Wave!"

Unlike the overwhelming power of ordinary lightning, the waves Lucien released were gentle. They circled a few blades of grass, leaving faint scorch marks before slowly fading away.

Lucien was not discouraged—he had expected this. In his previous life's games, Thunder Wave was a move that inflicted paralysis, not damage. On the contrary, he was rather satisfied, for he already possessed Dragon-type Hidden Power as his primary attack. To his recollection, at least in the early stages, Mareep could not learn any moves with higher damage output.

Therefore, an effective control move suited him perfectly for now.

He noticed that after releasing Thunder Wave, his fleece seemed to shrink ever so slightly. Remembering the energy flow pathway from when he activated the move, Lucien mused, "So Mareep stores electricity in its wool, and the orange crystal orb on the tail manages the overall charge."

With this in mind, Lucien decided to store as much electricity in his fleece as possible. After all, his evolved form, Flaaffy, was known to store massive amounts of energy in just a small amount of wool, boasting a high density of electric power. If he could train these aspects early as a Mareep, it would surely benefit his future evolution.

As he pondered, footsteps approached.

"There you are! What are you doing out here?"

A simply dressed, black-haired middle-aged man was walking toward him—Barry, his nominal owner.

Lucien turned to face him, inwardly excited. "I saved his Pokémon last night. Could he be here to reward me?"

Barry gazed at the Mareep before him, noticing the intelligent look in its eyes. He squatted down slowly, extending his left hand to gently stroke its head. The soft wool tingled with a faint static, surprising Barry and deepening his admiration.

"Storing electricity in your wool at such a young age—how impressive!"

Lucien had no idea what was going through Barry's mind and simply waited in eager anticipation.

After a moment of silent scrutiny, Barry spoke slowly, "Mareep, you saved Machoke's life last night. For that alone, I can promise you a carefree life here on the ranch for as long as you live. Is that what you want?"

Lucien shook his head.

What he yearned for was to become a mighty Pokémon, perhaps even one that could rival the legendary beasts—certainly not to spend a lifetime in aimless comfort on a ranch.

Seeing the shake of Lucien's head, Barry was convinced the Mareep truly understood him, and a firm resolve entered his eyes.

"Mareep, your potential is extraordinary. Of all the Mareep I've seen—no, of all the Pokémon I've seen—your talent is among the very best!"

"But to be honest, our ranch is going through hard times. We simply can't afford the resources to raise you to your full potential."

"If you wish to grow stronger, I have a proposal…"

"Join the Pokémon League! Become the partner of a true professional trainer!"

"Believe me, with your talent, you'll be highly valued!"

"What do you say?"

Lucien pondered. The Pokémon League? That sounded like a good idea.

Judging by Machoke's strength, Barry wasn't just any ordinary farmer. If he said Lucien would be noticed in the League, there must be some truth to it. In that case, if he really did enter the League, the chances of ending up with a bizarre trainer should be fairly low.

So long as he could find a normal trainer, even if it meant sacrificing a degree of freedom, Lucien believed he could leverage the system to quickly amass experience and points, laying a solid foundation for his next life.

Decision made, Lucien nodded.

Seeing this, Barry smiled in relief. Then, from his belt, he took out a standard red-and-white Poké Ball. With a trace of reluctance, he gently tapped the ball against Lucien's head.

"Farewell, Mareep."

"Farewell," Lucien replied silently in his heart.

A beam of red light shot from the Poké Ball, enveloping Lucien and transforming him into wisps of red energy, drawing him inside.

With a soft click, the Poké Ball settled on the ground, swaying gently before coming to rest.