Cain smiled and said, "Sir, seeing that you could identify the level of the Pokéblock used by Slowpoke and notice that it has been consuming nutritional products continuously, I suppose you're a researcher specialized in Slowpoke, right?"
Upon hearing this, the old man was surprised. He looked at Cain for a while, trying to discern if there was any hidden emotion in him, but saw nothing but serenity, like a crystal-clear stream.
The old man had thought that this young man had discovered his true identity and was trying to get close to him, something he was quite used to, given his position. But Cain's words left him a little perplexed; he had clearly sensed something more, but seemed to have misinterpreted his identity.
Though somewhat puzzled, he soon recovered from the surprise.
He realized he had rushed to conclusions, and now this young trainer, who seemed to be of beginner class, was inviting him to a banquet; this made him feel as if he were taking advantage of his age.
If Cain had really guessed his identity correctly, it wouldn't matter; he would let him pay, and in the end, give him some sort of reward, thus balancing any potential favor for the well-intentioned advice from yesterday.
But now that Cain had misinterpreted his identity, letting him pay for this grand meal somehow seemed a bit excessive.
Suddenly, the old man's face turned slightly red.
However, thanks to his age, he had thick enough skin that it didn't show.
Cain looked at the old man with some curiosity. He already knew who he really was, but decided not to mention it.
Cain wasn't foolish; directly revealing the secret would make it more difficult to approach the old man, and might even result in rejection.
Sometimes, it's better not to say everything all at once.
"Ha, ha, ha... Hmm, boy, you have a good eye. Indeed, I'm a researcher specialized in Slowpoke," the old man laughed to cover his discomfort.
He realized he was wrong, so he planned to make sure he was the one to pay the bill.
Although this thirty-thousand Pokédollar meal hurt him a bit.
Cain, glancing down, showed a hint of mockery. From the old man's behavior, it was clear that he was associated with the League.
The fact that he was a League member wasn't necessarily good or bad for Cain; at least he didn't have to worry about a fickle person who might kill him at any moment.
After all, talking to someone at the level of an elite level-four trainer could be a dangerous task; one wrong step could lead to serious trouble.
Cain asked Slowpoke to sit in another chair and then called Miltank, who sat next to Slowpoke.
How could two people eat a meal that costs thirty thousand Pokédollars?
If they couldn't finish it, they could let the Pokémon help eat it and thus avoid waste.
When Miltank appeared, the old man's eyes gleamed slightly. Then, looking again at Slowpoke beside Cain, he seemed to understand the situation.
He thought that the nutritional supplement for Slowpoke was actually Miltank's milk, which was quite a smart choice.
And Cain, who let Slowpoke and Miltank sit in the chair, showed no discomfort but rather a slight approval.
In this era, not many people treated Pokémon as friends.
"So, sir, I'd like to ask you some questions," Cain said humbly after the Pokémon had sat down.
"Ask," replied the old man, taking a sip of tea with a relaxed air.
"Why can Slowpoke learn Fire-type moves?" Cain asked after thinking for a moment.
The old man set down his cup and organized his thoughts.
"Although Slowpoke is a Water- and Psychic-type Pokémon, sometimes the type of moves it can learn isn't directly related to its type. For example, Ghost-type and Psychic-type Pokémon counter each other, but Ghost-type Pokémon can still learn Psychic-type moves."
"Why?"
"Actually, not only Pokémon, even humans can use psychic abilities. You may have never seen one, but there are people who can use psychic abilities because their mental strength is strong enough, and with certain training, they can use psychic abilities."
"In the same way, although Slowpoke is a Water-type Pokémon, it's extremely sensitive to different types of energy."
"If it can use Psychic-type moves, it means its mental power is actually quite strong. So, although it appears slow and distracted, it's actually a great master in disguise."
"A great mental strength gives them control over energy that surpasses many other Pokémon, so it's not surprising that it can learn Fire-type moves."
The old man gave a long explanation, demonstrating his extensive knowledge about many Pokémon. Without such studies, he wouldn't have been able to create high-level Pokéblocks.
Cain remained thoughtful.
In truth, he had never thoroughly researched these things. He knew that Slowpoke could learn Fire-type moves, but didn't exactly understand why.
And the system didn't offer a detailed explanation on these topics either.
For him, it was only necessary to know how to use the moves; why those moves existed wasn't his priority.
But the old man's words made him ponder. If Slowpoke can only learn certain Fire-type moves like Sunny Day, Flamethrower, and Fire Blast, does it mean that if its control is strong enough, it could also learn other Fire-type moves?
Then, driven by curiosity, he asked, "So, how can you increase a Slowpoke's psychic power? If a Slowpoke has very weak psychic power from the start, is there a way to improve it quickly?"
This question doesn't only apply to Slowpoke; many Psychic-type Pokémon face the same problem. It's a more general question: how to quickly improve psychic abilities?
The old man took some time to think, sipping his tea several times before answering.
"I haven't researched much on how to quickly improve psychic abilities, but..."
He hesitated a little, then continued, "But, I've heard that some Psychic-type Pokémon can form a kind of stone in their brain called a Shining Stone."
"However, Pokémon that can form the Shining Stone are extremely rare, and there doesn't seem to be a clear pattern; there might be a very low-level Psychic-type Pokémon that has it, and an elite-level Psychic-type Pokémon that doesn't. Anything is possible."
"Of course, this is just something I've heard, I've never seen it, so don't take it as a certainty."
Shining Stone?
Upon hearing this, Cain recalled that when the system analyzed conditions for rapidly improving psychic abilities, it had mentioned an item called the Shining Stone, but the system didn't provide further details about it.
(End of chapter)