Chapter 34: Learning 'Meditate' (Part 1) (Patreon)

"A Ralts, huh?" Lance raised an eyebrow.

He might specialize in dragon(?)-type Pokémon, but he knew well enough how rare Psychic-types were in most people's eyes.

Back when he'd first set out on his own journey, if he'd heard that a Gible, Dratini, or Bagon had been spotted anywhere nearby, he probably wouldn't have been able to resist either. He'd have charged out there on pure enthusiasm.

The thought flickered past, and he asked, "So? Did you find it?"

Renan sighed. The disappointment on his face, put on for show, said everything.

He didn't mention being attacked by Team Rocket grunts. For one thing, the problem had already been dealt with. For another, he really didn't want to trouble his uncle, an Elite Four member.

As for Renan failing to find a Ralts, Lance wasn't the least bit surprised.

Psychic-type Pokémon had intelligence on par with humans, and often well above it. If one truly set its mind on hiding, there was no way anyone would find it.

"And then, since you were already out here, you decided to start your journey early?" Lance asked his third question.

Renan nodded, then shook his head.

The answer left Lance a little baffled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

After all, the man on the other end of the call was the closest person to him in this world, or rather, to his predecessor. Renan had no intention of hiding his next plans. "I'm going to stay in Saffron City for a while. For one thing, I can train Charmander and the others at the Pokémon Center. For another... while I was searching for the Ralts, it suddenly hit me. Psychic Pokémon are so rare that you normally never run into one. So if I become a psychic myself, couldn't I fill the role of a Psychic-type out in the wild? And I checked beforehand: the Saffron Gym runs a class that teaches humans Meditate-style techniques. I'm planning to sign up for it afterward."

Lance: "…"

The topic and the reasoning were both so far out of left field that Lance honestly didn't know how to respond.

Then, on second thought, he decided it might actually be a good thing.

After all, he'd awakened the "Dragon-Taming Power" himself, so he knew exactly what kind of edge an ability user had over an ordinary trainer, both in daily training and in Pokémon battles.

Even if his late friend's son had little talent for psychic powers, with the resources Lance could provide, he could be piled up into a veteran-level psychic (equivalent to Pokémon of Lv. 21 to 30).

That kind of strength might not accomplish much in the League tournament, but for traveling in the wild it was more than enough to raise Ren's safety another notch.

With that in mind, Lance spoke again. "Don't go to the Saffron Gym. The current Gym Leader has a bad temper, and who knows what might happen to you there. As for learning psychic powers, hmm, I'll call the former Gym Leader in a bit and ask him to come teach you Meditate himself."

Renan wasn't the kind of child who clung to his pride for no reason. When outside help was on offer, of course he wouldn't turn it down.

He smiled sincerely. "Thanks for the help, Uncle Lance."

"Why so formal with me? My life was saved by your father back then, and your mother was my distant cousin. Now that both your parents are gone, of course I should do my part as family," Lance said, a nostalgic look crossing his face. "Oh, right. Even after you learn psychic powers, don't rush out of Saffron City right away. I've got some things to send you. Make sure you pick them up at the Pokémon Center."

Renan looked puzzled, then nodded. "Got it."

Lance worked fast.

Barely half an hour after the call ended, a scruffy-looking middle-aged man in a green jacket and a flat cap, with a full beard, appeared out of thin air at the entrance of the Pokémon Center.

Walking into the lobby, he swept his gaze left and right, then quickly settled it on the black-haired boy sitting not far away with his eyes closed, resting.

—Elite Four Lance's nephew?

An unfamiliar male voice sounded in Renan's mind.

Renan flinched slightly, stood up, and looked at the man.

The man still said nothing, but his thoughts reached the boy's ears once more.

—Follow me.

With that, he didn't wait for a reply. He turned and walked out of the Pokémon Center.

Renan followed quickly, his face calm. In his mind, he had already guessed who this was: the father of Sabrina, the current Saffron Gym Leader.

After all, his predecessor had studied at Viridian Academy for several years, so he had a fairly complete picture of how strong each of Kanto's major Gyms was.

Among the many League-certified Gyms, the ones with the hardest challenges had been Viridian, Cinnabar, and Vermilion a few years ago.

Now Sabrina's Saffron Gym had to be counted among them.

In some respects, the Saffron Gym was arguably the hardest of all.

After all, even Giovanni of the Viridian Gym, the boss behind Team Rocket, had to keep his public image in mind. Whether he won or lost against a challenger, he wouldn't do anything to them on the surface.

But Sabrina really did dare to turn defeated trainers into dolls and keep them in the Gym to play with for a while.

So, never mind Renan, who already knew the anime's plot. Even his predecessor, before the past-life memories awakened, had skipped the Saffron Gym entirely in his original Gym challenge route.

Of course, he could skip the Gym battle.

But the psychic power that might make up for the shortcoming of his Mind Magic, letting him cast without a staff, was something Renan absolutely had to master.

As for whether he could become a psychic at all... he'd never doubted it.

Just as his body shared the full power of his selves in other worlds in the DanMachi world, the body he controlled now also carried a flow of mana, or rather spiritual power, equivalent to a Lv3 adventurer from the DanMachi world. It was circulating slowly through him.

It was just like back then, when he couldn't even cast a light spell properly without a staff to assist.

Right now, he lacked a trigger that could pry that spiritual power loose.

Lost in thought, the two arrived at a park with hardly anyone in it.

The man stood in front of Renan and spoke aloud for the first time. "Lance tells me you want to become a psychic?"

"Yes." Renan didn't deny it.

The man went on. "Psychic powers can make daily life easier and help in Pokémon battles, but they're absolutely not something you can master on a whim, just because you made up your mind. You need to be ready to spend a very long time pouring your energy into sitting and meditating, with nothing to show for it but telekinesis too weak to bend even a metal spoon."