Chapter 174

Chapter 174: Chapter 174

Today was a good day.

After a long wait, The Wide World of Pokémon had finally updated.

At Professor Rowan’s laboratory, Rowan had at last managed to send the visiting Professors away and convince them to conduct their own field research instead of crowding his lab.

He settled into a chair with a cup of hot tea on the table beside him, took out his phone, opened Mike’s account with practiced familiarity, and tapped on the newest episode.

"Clear skies, a gentle sea breeze, and what looks like a wonderful day. The ocean has always been known as—wait, everyone, look what I found. A Wingull. What’s it doing? It looks like it’s about to fish. Let’s see how it does it. It folds its wings, dives straight down, disappears beneath the water... and comes back up completely empty-handed."

Professor Rowan couldn’t help laughing at Mike’s familiar narration style.

The camera shifted, following Mike beneath the surface.

The ocean’s ecosystem was every bit as rich as the one on land, and its sheer size made it even more expansive.

The first Pokémon introduced was Magikarp, and as the footage moved through the water, Mike thoroughly explained its habits, lifestyle, and general characteristics before transitioning naturally into its evolved form, Gyarados.

When the video showed a Gyarados sleeping with half its body sprawled across a beach, Mike’s voice returned.

"Gyarados usually look for somewhere solid to rest at night, such as reefs or shallow beaches, so if you’re ever camping by the shore, keep an eye out for sleeping Gyarados or you might wake up to—blub blub blub."

Once the Magikarp line was covered, the episode moved on to Tentacool and Tentacruel, followed by Krabby and Kingler, then Corphish and Crawdaunt.

Mike had even included footage of a chaotic fight he had secretly filmed between Kingler and Crawdaunt.

Combined with his surprisingly professional commentary, the battle managed to feel both genuinely exciting and completely ridiculous.

...

Back in Twinleaf Town, Grandma sat in the yard with Growlithe and watched the episode together.

When Mike’s underwater narration came through the speakers in that bubbling, distorted voice, Growlithe looked up at her in confusion.

"Arf?"

Grandma smiled and stroked his head.

"Silly thing. He added that voice afterward. He isn’t drowning."

Growlithe still didn’t understand how Mike could sound like that underwater, but he obediently remained beside Grandma and kept watching while listening carefully to Mike’s voice.

It had been a long time since Growlithe had played with Mike and Gengar.

He wondered whether anyone was bullying them while they traveled, whether they were eating properly, and whether the outside world was really interesting enough to keep them away from home for so long.

How much longer would it be before they came back?

As the video continued, Growlithe gradually lowered himself onto the ground, missing them more and more.

Grandma glanced at him and quietly sighed before returning her attention to the screen.

...

Meanwhile, Lucian was in Oreburgh City, lounging in the same yard that had once been used to temporarily house the Stantler.

He was enjoying one of his rare breaks while Mike’s voice occasionally drifted from the phone propped up on the table.

"Water-type Pokémon are actually excellent choices for beginner Trainers. They’re generally easy to train, many are beautiful, they’re often relatively accessible to catch, and they can perform very well in Gym challenges. For example, take this one."

The camera moved toward a Horsea.

As the footage followed it, Horsea managed to swim directly into obstacles three separate times in quick succession.

Lucian burst out laughing.

"If you’re interested in building a weather team, Horsea can also be a solid option. Once it evolves into Kingdra, Swift Swim makes it extremely effective in rain, and as you can see from this Kingdra, its offensive power is nothing to underestimate."

On screen, Kingdra fired a Hydro Pump toward the camera, only for the attack to be dispersed midway by psychic force.

Mike then gave a simplified explanation of the rain-team concepts he remembered from his previous life, covering basic team construction, possible primary attackers, weather setters, substitutions, and how the pieces could work together in actual battles.

The episode eventually moved on to Luvdisc.

"And then we have Luvdisc, which is practically made for couples. There’s a legend that Luvdisc will appear when two people promise to love each other forever. What? You’re single?"

Mike’s voice carried obvious amusement.

"Don’t worry. According to another rumor, if a Luvdisc willingly gives you one of its scales, you’ll find your future partner before long."

The footage showed dozens of Luvdisc gathering together, their pink bodies turning the surrounding water into a beautiful rosy haze.

"Finally, we have Clamperl."

The camera shifted toward a Clamperl with its shell tightly closed.

...

In Paldea, Manryo sat on a sofa while stroking the Sylveon sprawled comfortably across his lap.

He glanced toward Gardevoir.

Gardevoir responded with a gentle smile.

Then Manryo looked back at the screen, where Mike was explaining Clamperl.

The final sequence showed several Clamperl evolving.

Once Huntail and Gorebyss had both been introduced, the camera focused on a large pink pearl.

"One more thing for any Trainers raising Clamperl: when Clamperl evolves, it may leave behind a pearl containing an unusually strong concentration of psychic energy. These are also the same kinds of pearls Spoink searches for. They can be useful when raising Psychic-type Pokémon, and they’re valuable enough to sell for a substantial amount of money."

Mike’s bubbling underwater voice returned for the ending.

"Blub blub blub... and that’s it for this Water-type episode of The Wide World of Pokémon. See you all next time."

Then his tone changed completely.

"Filming this was exhausting, so please do me a favor and hit like, follow, and save the video. Thank you very much!"

The episode ended.

Manryo remained motionless on the sofa for several seconds before opening the fan group.

As expected, the unread count had already passed 999.

[AshlesSmiley: What was that? Did a whole piece of battle theory just fly past my brain?]

[Randomguyno1: So... Mike actually understands competitive battling?]

[Red_Dragon_7597: Didn’t he post his Oreburgh Gym Badge in the group? He technically counts as a Trainer.]

[UI_Tunaism: But why does his rain-team structure sound slightly better than the systems we currently use? Am I imagining that? He didn’t even explain it in much detail.]

[IDontWantOvertime: His structure is genuinely flexible, and several Pokémon can substitute for one another without breaking the core strategy. If a Trainer uses the simpler versions he described and handles the details properly, it’s already enough for ordinary Gym challenges.]

[IDontWantOvertime: The alternative versions he mentioned have a higher ceiling, but they also demand much better decision-making and switching.]

[IDontWantOvertime: I think his rain-team ideas are pretty promising.]

[IDontWantOvertime: It’s a shame weather teams rarely make it deep into League competition anymore.]

[SilentArc: Even Lucian rates Mike’s rain team that highly?]

[ReallyWantIceCream: His overall idea is good. If Mega Evolution is allowed, adding Mega Swampert would probably make the rain core even stronger.]

[ReallyWantIceCream: The fact that he deliberately avoided Mega Pokémon shows that he was thinking about ordinary Trainers. Most of the Pokémon he recommended are also relatively accessible and affordable to raise, so his basic setup really is a good choice for beginners.]

[CSideBRZ: Holy crap. The Sinnoh Champion herself just endorsed it?]

[ReallyWantIceCream: I’d be interested in seeing more weather-team competitors at the Lily of the Valley Conference.]

[CSideBRZ: AAAAAAA CYNTHIA REPLIED TO ME. I’LL DIE HAPPY.]

[Professor Purple: ...]

[Mad Silence: ...]

[Juice Bro: ...]

[IDontWantOvertime: I’d like to see that too.]

...

By the time Trainers around the world had finished debating whether Mike’s proposed rain-team structures were actually practical, Cynthia’s public post pushed the topic far beyond the fan group.

[Cynthia: Trainers interested in trying weather teams may want to experiment with this kind of composition. The basic version is friendly to newer Trainers, while more advanced variations are also possible. Link...]

[Cynthia: I look forward to seeing more Trainers using weather-based teams at the Lily of the Valley Conference.]

Lucian followed soon afterward.

[Sinnoh Elite Four — Lucian: New Trainers struggling with Gym challenges may want to consider trying a weather team. Rain teams in particular can be an effective starting point. Link...]

It wasn’t that Cynthia or Lucian believed Mike had created some overwhelmingly powerful strategy that would redefine competitive battling.

The real appeal was accessibility.

A beginner only needed a Pelipper with Drizzle, several Water-type Pokémon, and a few additional teammates to cover weaknesses.

Even a mostly Water-type roster could work reasonably well.

Compared with many specialized team structures, the cost was relatively low and the battle strength was respectable.

Even without a Pelipper possessing Drizzle, a Trainer could simply set rain manually.

That made the style especially useful for beginners, who could learn positioning, weather control, switching, and synergy before eventually replacing members and developing more sophisticated teams, much like how many Trainers began their journeys with relatively accessible Bug-type Pokémon before moving into more demanding strategies.

Once the Sinnoh Champion and an Elite Four member publicly supported the idea, most of the remaining skepticism disappeared.

The problem was that Mike’s video had only covered team composition and possible replacements.

He hadn’t explained actual battle rotations, switching patterns, or detailed tactical sequences.

That made sense, since The Wide World of Pokémon was primarily a wildlife and educational series.

Battle strategy was secondary and only deserved a short aside.

Naturally, that did nothing to stop viewers from flooding the comments and begging Mike to produce a dedicated rain-team guide.

They waited.

And waited.

But Mike never responded.

In the end, Galar’s weather specialist Raihan stepped in and organized Mike’s ideas into a proper post.

[Raihan — Master of Weather: His rain-team structures are genuinely flexible, and some of the variations barely resemble a traditional rain team at all. Still, that flexibility is exactly what makes weather teams interesting. I’ve organized several of the compositions from his video below and added a short explanation of how they can be used.]

[Team 1: Pelipper / Kingdra / Scizor / Heliolisk / Ferrothorn / Ludicolo]

[Team 2: Pelipper / Mega Swampert / Ludicolo / Kingdra / Ferrothorn / Jolteon]

[Team 3 — Advanced: Pelipper / Mega Swampert / Archaludon / Ludicolo / Urshifu / Scizor]

[Team 4: Poliwrath / Kingdra / Ludicolo / Ferrothorn / Scizor / Jolteon]

[Raihan — Master of Weather: Team 4 is probably the easiest for beginner Trainers to use. The Electric-type special attacker in a rain team can also be swapped depending on what Electric Pokémon you already own.]

[Raihan — Master of Weather: These are only a few examples. He mentioned plenty of other possible Pokémon as well, so if you want more detailed information, you’ll have to get him to explain it himself. I’ll finish by saying that I’d also like to see more weather-team Trainers challenging the League.]

An endorsement from Raihan, one of the world’s best-known weather-team specialists, only gave Mike’s ideas even more credibility and attention.

Without Mike realizing it, Water-type Pokémon suddenly became the center of a worldwide craze.

Countless Trainers flocked to coastlines in hopes of catching Pelipper with Drizzle so they could build their own rain teams.

The trend spread beyond competitive battling as well.

Couples began choosing seaside locations for important promises and confessions because they wanted to see Luvdisc appear and take it as proof that their relationships would last.

Single people also started visiting the coast in hopes that a generous Luvdisc might give them a scale and somehow help them find a partner.

Others became fascinated by Clamperl and decided they wanted to raise one of their own.

...

Mike knew absolutely none of this.

At that exact moment, he was only just opening his eyes.

Still half-asleep, he stared blankly at the irregular stone ceiling until he remembered that he had spent the night inside Nidoking’s cave.

Glameow was no longer beside him.

Mike slowly sat up and looked around, only to discover that the cave was almost completely empty apart from himself and the Pokémon Egg.

"Why is everyone up so early?"

He scratched the back of his head and stared at the empty cave.

A small pink figure suddenly ran inside.

The moment Hatenna saw that Mike was awake, she happily hurried over.

"Haten."

[You’re awake?]

Mike smiled and gently patted her head.

"Morning, Hatenna."

Hatenna’s eyes remained hidden beneath her fringe, but her confusion was obvious from the way she tilted her small body.

"Haten?"

[Morning? It’s already afternoon.]

Mike’s eyes widened.

"What?"

He immediately pulled out his phone.

It was already past one in the afternoon and approaching two.

Mike stared at the time with his mouth open.

"Why didn’t anyone wake me?"

"Haten~"

[Snivy said you needed to rest properly~]

Mike hurried to his feet and picked Hatenna up.

"This cave is way too cool and dark. No direct sunlight gets inside, so I completely lost track of time."

He carried Hatenna outside and found Gengar and the others gathered in front of the cave.

Mike walked over and discovered Gengar carefully grilling fish.

He silently praised the Ghost-type’s concentration.

The attitude was excellent.

The result, however, was another matter entirely.

Mike stared at the completely blackened fish and struggled not to wince.

"Gar?"

[You’re awake?]

Gengar looked up.

"Why didn’t you wake me?"

Mike asked.

"Gar—"

[You’ve been working really hard lately. You needed proper rest.]

Gengar held out the grilled fish.

"Gar—"

[Here. Eat this and get your strength back.]

"Thank you, but I’m good. You can have it."

Mike politely declined.

Gengar was capable of doing almost anything surprisingly well, but cooking remained the one area where he consistently produced results that bordered on biological warfare.

Perhaps his food wasn’t meant to feed ordinary people.

Perhaps it was meant to identify the strong.

Gengar didn’t mind the rejection.

He simply took the fish back and started eating it himself.

His face was already dark, and the charcoal from the fish only made it worse.

"All right, stop crowding around. Go wash some ingredients and I’ll make lunch."

Mike gave Nidoking a light kick.

Nidoking simply shifted sideways and continued staring at the grilled fish.

"Sni."

[We already ate lunch.]

Snivy was sitting in a tree and looked down at Mike, who was still holding Hatenna.

"You already ate?"

Mike looked surprised.

"What did you have?"

"Nina."

[Berries, Honey, and lots of Poffins.]

Nidoran♀ answered from nearby.

"Oh. That explains it."

Mike nodded.

Glameow was sitting higher in the tree.

She looked down at Hatenna, who had tucked her head comfortably against Mike’s chest, and slowly rolled her eyes upward.

Then she jumped down, walked over to Mike, and pawed at his pant leg.

"What is it?"

"Meow~"

[I’m hungry. I want fish.]

"Give me a little while."

Mike then looked down at Hatenna.

"Hop down for a bit. I’m going to wash up, then I’ll grill some fish for you."

"Haten."

Hatenna answered sweetly and climbed out of his arms.

She approached Glameow and gave another soft call.

"Haten~"

Glameow elegantly stepped aside before Hatenna could rub against her, then climbed smoothly back into the tree.

Hatenna looked up at Glameow and Snivy with obvious envy.

A faintly mischievous glint passed through Snivy’s eyes.

She extended a Vine Whip, gently lifted Hatenna onto the branch, and seated her on the opposite side.

Glameow immediately stared at Snivy and hissed.

"Meow?"

Snivy merely gave her a warm smile.

"Sni~"

Glameow’s mouth twitched.

Then she turned her head away and decided to ignore both of them.

Below the tree, Mike drove Gengar and Nidoking away from the cooking area and took over the fish himself.

It didn’t take long before the rich smell of properly grilled fish spread through the clearing.

Mike gave one fish to each Pokémon and took the largest one Gengar offered him.

A short while later, Gengar returned carrying a large bowl of rice.

"Gar—"

[Here. Eat this too.]

Mike accepted it.

"Thanks. Wait, where did the rice come from? You didn’t cook lunch earlier."

"Gar—"

[I made it while you were grilling the fish.]

Gengar pointed toward the rice cooker nearby.

Mike stared.

"The generator still has power? We’ve been using it since we left Oreburgh!"

Gengar looked at him as though Mike had just asked the stupidest question imaginable.

"Gar?"

[I fully charged it in Floaroma Town.]

Mike lowered his head and quietly ate his rice with grilled fish.

Gengar, meanwhile, hugged the rice cooker itself and happily shoveled rice into his mouth between bites of fish.

Glameow carried her grilled fish over to Mike, placed it directly in front of him, and sat down without moving.

Mike looked at her.

"You really are spoiled."

He lightly flicked her forehead.

Glameow immediately hissed at him.

Mike ignored the protest, removed the bones from the fish, placed the clean meat onto a plate, scooped a little rice from Gengar’s cooker, and set everything in front of her.

Only then did Glameow lower her head and begin eating.

Snivy glanced toward Hatenna.

"Sni?"

Hatenna was happily eating the grilled fish Mike had given her.

"Haten~"

Snivy’s eyes flashed with mild surprise.

’Interesting.’

’This might become very entertaining!’

She took another small bite of fish and narrowed her eyes contentedly.

--------

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