Chapter 212

Chapter 212: Chapter 212

"So this... is Ursaring’s evolution..."

Norman stared at the four-legged Pokémon ahead of him, excitement filling his eyes.

One look was enough for him to tell that Ursaluna was built for brute-force physical combat.

That was the instinct of a Normal-type specialist, and the Pokémon before him practically radiated the same overwhelming physical presence he associated with powerhouses like Slaking.

Bertha said nothing, but her gaze had locked onto Ursaluna just as intently.

Lucian had obtained Wyrdeer.

Aaron had apparently taken a Kleavor.

So as Sinnoh’s Ground-type Elite Four member, surely Bertha wanting an Ursaluna of her own wasn’t unreasonable.

Mike stepped toward the newly evolved Pokémon and ran his hand over its head.

Ursaluna’s muzzle was pale yellow, while its nose and heavy brows were gray.

Most of its fur was brown, with blockier patches along its back, the sides of its head, waist, and abdomen.

Gray peat-like material coated portions of its upper body and limbs, while a yellow circle on its forehead combined with its gray brows to create a pattern reminiscent of a moon hidden behind clouds.

Unlike the bipedal Ursaring—and unlike Bloodmoon Ursaluna—this Ursaluna naturally stood on all fours.

Its fur had grown denser and heavier after evolution, and its entire body was far more massive.

Mike squeezed one of its thick forelegs and smiled.

"Welcome back to the world, Ursaluna."

"Ursaa—"

The Pokémon answered with a deep rumble.

Mike turned and nodded to the researchers.

Professor Rowan then handed additional Peat Blocks to Bertha and Norman, allowing each of them to present one to a chosen Ursaring.

The meaning was clear: if the resulting Ursaluna were willing, those Pokémon could later be entrusted to them.

Mike glanced toward Manryo.

"Gholdengo Bro, didn’t you say you were interested in catching an Ursaluna? We still have Peat Blocks. Want to try?"

Manryo smiled and hugged Sylveon a little closer.

"No. I already have Sylveon, Gardevoir, and Gholdengo. For now, I’m not planning on adding another Pokémon."

He paused before smiling faintly.

"Maybe one day, when I recover some of the feelings I had when I was younger, I’ll want to have a new partner again."

Mike narrowed his eyes.

"You don’t just think Kleavor and Ursaluna are ugly, do you?"

Manryo: "..."

He refused to answer!

Mike immediately pointed at him.

"Oh, come on. You were the one saying in the group chat that they looked cool!"

"I didn’t know the photos would look that different from seeing them in person..."

Manryo realized too late what he had admitted.

Mike’s eyes lit up.

"There! You finally admitted it! You think they’re ugly!"

The others burst out laughing.

"I think Ursaluna looks pretty good," Lucian said. "It has a certain beauty that comes from sheer power."

Steven nodded.

"One glance tells you it’s an extremely powerful physical attacker."

Nearby, the two Ursaring selected by Norman and Bertha began evolving as well.

The process was just as lengthy, but there were no complications. Before long, two more Ursaluna stood in the moonlight.

Norman walked over and ran both hands over the Ursaluna he had chosen, clearly delighted.

Bertha appeared equally pleased with hers.

Professor Oak looked around.

"Anyone else want to give it a try?"

Cynthia and the others shook their heads.

Professor Oak, Professor Rowan, and Professor Kukui then each oversaw the evolution of one of the remaining three Ursaring.

By the time the experiments were finished, all three had successfully become Ursaluna.

Several Peat Blocks still remained.

Professor Rowan sighed.

"If I’d known everything would go this smoothly, we should have prepared more Ursaring."

"Should we find wild ones?" Cynthia suggested.

Rowan considered it before shaking his head.

"No. Ursaluna is different from Kleavor. Since captured Ursaring can evolve normally, there’s no reason to take unnecessary risks experimenting on wild ones."

He looked toward the newly evolved Pokémon.

"Once we finish the research, some Ursaluna can be returned to the wild. Given time, more of them can appear naturally. There’s no need to rush."

Rowan capped his pen.

"It’s late. Everyone should get some rest. Samuel and I will go through the basic data tonight, and tomorrow we’ll move into the wilderness for further testing."

"Okay. Good night."

Mike yawned and returned to his room to wash up.

...

Early the next morning, Mike came downstairs and was immediately stopped by one of the research assistants.

"Research Assistant Mike, the professors said to have you come to the field site after you wake up."

"Got it. I’ll head over now."

As Mike walked through Celestic Town toward the wilderness, he found himself wondering whether it was finally time to catch a Pokémon he could ride.

Walking everywhere was getting old.

He looked toward the Rotom Phone floating beside him.

"Useless."

Rotom: Σ(°?°?)?

"Detecting unusually poor Trainer mood, Roto. Recommended solution: increase distance from Mike, Roto..."

"Can you transform into an electric bicycle?"

Rotom: "..."

"Great! He’s talking nonsense again, Roto. Maybe we should just break up the team and all go home, Roto."

Mike bickered with Rotom the entire way to the temporary research base.

By the time he arrived, the others were already conducting battle tests.

Steven was commanding Metagross against Norman’s Ursaluna, while Cynthia and Garchomp were fighting Bertha’s Ursaluna in another part of the field.

One of the professors stood nearby recording data and occasionally discussing the results with Professor Oak and Professor Rowan.

Lucian, naturally, was seated comfortably with a cup of tea.

Mike was beginning to suspect that if Lucian had the option of sitting instead of standing, he would take it every single time, as though every minute in a chair allowed him to recover a tiny piece of all the rest his League job had stolen from him.

Manryo had already returned to Paldea.

Unlike Steven, he couldn’t simply wander wherever his interests took him indefinitely.

He still had a company to run and responsibilities waiting for him.

When Mike approached, one of the professors waved him over and handed him a sheet of paper.

The completed base-stat analysis was written on it.

Ursaluna

HP: 130

Attack: 140

Defense: 105

Sp. Atk: 45

Sp. Def: 80

Speed: 50

Total: 550

Mike nodded appreciatively.

Ursaluna really did have an excellent stat distribution.

"These are the values we established this morning," the professor explained. "They line up closely with Gym Leader Norman’s expectations. Ursaluna is very clearly oriented toward physical offense."

"That makes sense. Ursaring was already a physical attacker. Its evolution continuing in that direction is perfectly natural."

"We were lucky with the Abilities too."

The professor continued, "Across the Ursaluna we currently have, we’ve already identified three Abilities: Guts, Bulletproof, and Unnerve."

"We still don’t know which one is the Hidden Ability. The sample size is too small to determine that confidently, though these are probably the three Abilities available to the species."

Mike couldn’t help being impressed.

He already knew the professors in front of him were extremely capable researchers, yet it was still astonishing that they had determined Ursaluna’s base-stat distribution and identified three Abilities after only one night and a single morning.

"There is one thing we found strange," the professor continued. "Does Ursaluna not have a signature move?"

"We’ve tested several times, but none of them appear to possess anything unique to the species. The only unusually rare move we’ve observed is Headlong Rush."

Mike searched his memory.

As far as he could remember, ordinary Ursaluna really didn’t have a signature move.

Bloodmoon Ursaluna was another matter.

"I don’t think the surviving Hisuian records mention an exclusive move for ordinary Ursaluna either."

"Is that so?"

The professor rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"We still have plenty of time. We’ll keep observing as they grow stronger and see whether anything new emerges at higher levels."

Even without an Ursaluna-exclusive move, Wyrdeer’s Psyshield Bash and Kleavor’s Stone Axe alone were already enough to support several highly significant research papers.

The battles on the other side of the field soon came to an end.

Metagross knocked Norman’s Ursaluna unconscious with a heavy blow, while Garchomp sent Bertha’s Ursaluna flying across the field.

Assistants immediately moved in to treat the injured Pokémon, after which Cynthia and Steven returned with Norman and Bertha.

Mike looked toward the two specialists.

"So? How did they feel?"

Norman looked delighted.

"I love it. They’re extremely strong."

Bertha smiled as well.

"My team has gained another powerful fighter!"

Mike looked toward Norman.

"A Guts Ursaluna holding a Flame Orb and using Facade would hit absurdly hard. It might even surpass what Slaking can put out under the right circumstances."

Norman’s eyes immediately brightened.

"You know Normal-types too, Mike?"

He thought through the combination.

"That actually could work. Once I get back, I’ll have to try Flame Orb Ursaluna."

Mike nodded.

Ursaluna’s Abilities were already good, but its real strength lay in just how cleanly its stats had been distributed.

...

After lunch, one of the professors asked whether Mike had finished preparing his presentation for the upcoming summit.

"More or less."

"The summit is only a few days away. Want me to look over your slides?"

Professor Rowan offered.

Mike only then remembered that he still had the summit to attend.

"Please."

He opened the presentation on his tablet and handed it over.

Professor Rowan read through the entire thing carefully.

"This is good. You already have enough here."

Another professor offered several smaller suggestions afterward, and Mike adjusted the presentation accordingly.

For the rest of the day, Mike didn’t go wandering off to collect more footage.

Instead, he remained at the field site and watched the Champions, Elite Four members, and Gym Leaders battle.

The match between Cynthia and Steven gave him the clearest understanding yet of just how oppressive Champion-level combat could become.

The slightest opening from either side was immediately seized and punished with a relentless counteroffensive.

Garchomp and Metagross in particular traded brutal close-range attacks, each impact landing with enough force to make Mike’s blood race.

This was the kind of battle Mike loved.

No elaborate showmanship.

No endless waiting.

Two overwhelmingly powerful Pokémon using their own strength to break through the opponent directly!

At the Champion level, tactics no longer dominated every battle.

They were still important, but they were one tool among many rather than the foundation holding everything together.

Mike sat on his blanket and watched without blinking.

Gengar and the others gathered around him with Poffins in hand, equally absorbed in Garchomp and Metagross’s battle.

Perhaps Cynthia and Steven got a little too carried away.

Cynthia produced her lipstick while Steven touched the brooch on his chest.

The Key Stones embedded in them began resonating with the Mega Stones carried by Garchomp and Metagross.

"Garchomp..."

"Metagross..."

"That’s enough!"

One of the professors cut them off before either transformation could begin.

"This is a research site, not a proper battlefield. Are the two of you planning to demolish the entire place?"

Cynthia and Steven immediately canceled the Mega Evolution.

"Sorry. I got carried away for a moment."

Steven’s apology was completely sincere.

"It’s been too long since I fought seriously. I got a little excited too. Sorry."

Cynthia was equally straightforward.

Once the two Champions had settled down, they promptly began dragging Lucian and the others into battles instead.

Mike thoroughly enjoyed himself.

So did his Pokémon.

After witnessing Metagross’s strength firsthand, Beedrill flew over to ask it for advice about fighting.

Snivy and the others likewise sought out the ace Pokémon belonging to Cynthia and the others, eager to learn whatever they could.

Mike looked down at Glameow.

She was lying beside him alone, happily playing with her red ball of yarn without the slightest interest in training.

"Meow?"

[What?]

"Nothing. I just think you’re adorable."

Glameow rolled her eyes, turned away from him, and went straight back to her ball of yarn.

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Guys i release pokemon gourmet hunter on Pinkkitty3 account, please add it to your collection and if you dont like it you can delete it from your library later, thanks a lot!

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