Slowking had successfully absorbed the Blood of Mew, leaving Cain utterly astonished.
When Slowking began showing signs of change, Cain had already suspected that the energy from the Blood of Mew had been activated. What he hadn't expected was that all of the energy from the blood had fully fused into Slowking's body.
The entire energy of Mew—a legendary Pokémon—integrated into Slowking's body?
As a legendary psychic-type Pokémon, Mew's energy provided a tremendous boost to Slowking.
Cain deduced that this recent surge of power was likely due to the exhaustion of Mew's energy, which was now fully dormant within Slowking's body, subtly promoting its growth and improvement.
Cain believed there were two reasons why the Blood of Mew had taken so long to activate:
First, Slowking's body had not been prepared to handle the power of the Blood of Mew.
Second, the blood was likely reshaping Slowking's body slowly until it could withstand a burst of energy.
Whatever the reason, Slowking had gained immense benefits. The most immediate changes were its rise to quasi-elite level and the improvement of its quality to light Purple.
After taking a brief rest, Cain, along with a fully revitalized Slowking and a somewhat fatigued Floette—who had overused her moves—continued their journey deeper into the valley.
Floette, perched on Cain's shoulder, was using Synthesis, so she would likely recover soon.
As they ventured further into the valley, Cain once again saw the waterfall and the Pokémon peacefully drinking from the water. It was a tranquil, serene environment, just as he remembered from previous visits, with no significant dangers.
They approached a pile of rocks near the waterfall. Cain knew that the Mega Stone was hidden beneath that pile, and he was determined to retrieve it.
Cain threw a Poké Ball, and Drapion emerged.
This type of physical task was perfect for the sturdy Drapion. Slowking would use its psychic powers to locate the Mega Stone while Drapion worked to move the rocks one by one.
Through teamwork, they slowly began clearing the rock pile.
However, their efforts caused considerable noise, which attracted several wild Pokémon that began to gather around them. They didn't appear fearful but also didn't come too close. Instead, they simply watched Drapion and Slowking as they moved the rocks.
Something was off about those rocks. From the start, Cain noticed a strange smell. He guessed that something beneath the rocks might have rotted or fermented, explaining the unpleasant odor.
He didn't give it much thought—the bad smell was a small price to pay for obtaining the Mega Stone. He'd dealt with worse smells before, like when he captured a group of Grimer.
As more wild Pokémon gathered, their expressions grew increasingly uncomfortable, as if they were holding something back.
Cain began to get a bad feeling...
And he was right. After Drapion removed more rocks, the wild Pokémon could no longer hold themselves back.
Suddenly, they all rushed toward the pile of rocks—to use it as a bathroom!
One by one, the Pokémon began relieving themselves in the area where Drapion and Slowking had been working.
It turned out that the pile of rocks was, in fact, the communal bathroom of the valley.
Cain's eye twitched.
In his past life, he had done this kind of dirty work with his own hands.
At least that nightmare was over.
Cain sighed in relief, but Drapion wasn't as lucky.
With its pincers holding two rocks and its four legs planted in the soft ground, Drapion quickly realized what was happening. The smell of the rocks and the behavior of the wild Pokémon confirmed its worst fears.
Drapion looked at Cain with eyes full of despair.
Cain returned the gaze, making it clear with a single look: "This is your problem."
To ease the awkwardness, Cain coughed lightly and said, "Come on, Drapion, great achievements require enduring small inconveniences. We're almost there—keep searching for the Mega Stone. Slowking, please continue the scan."
Slowking glanced at Drapion sympathetically while using telepathy to guide it to the Mega Stone's location.
Finally, Drapion accepted its fate and resumed digging.
As they say, once you've done something unpleasant once, it doesn't seem as bad the next time.
After overcoming its initial disgust, Drapion began digging faster.
Twenty minutes later, it finally uncovered a small, round stone covered in dirt and handed it to Cain.
A horrible stench wafted through the air, nearly making Cain gag.
Cain used his psychic powers to grab the stone and immediately flung it into the nearby water.
After thoroughly washing the stone for a good while and ensuring no trace of the smell remained, he pulled it out of the water.
However, a faint odor still lingered, so Cain retrieved some berries from his storage space, squeezed their juice onto the stone, and scrubbed it until it was covered in a pleasant aroma.
Slowking and Drapion watched the scene in silence.
Without a word, Drapion headed straight for the waterfall to clean itself.
To be fair, the Pokémon drinking from the river should also be grateful for experiencing the "true" flavor of Drapion.
Meanwhile, Slowking tried to stifle its laughter, its pink face turning an even deeper shade of red.
Cain observed everything quietly, focusing on examining the newly acquired Mega Stone.
(End of Chapter)