Pokemon: Skybound

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Kai hesitated. "I… couldn't understand what it was thinking."

Ash immediately burst out laughing.

Turning to Misty, he grinned. "See? Told you! There's no way some ancient gem could give him a psychic link with Pokémon. Especially with your Psyduck. That thing is weird even by Psyduck standards!"

Misty's mouth opened to argue… but then she stopped.

Ash had a point.

Her Psyduck was, to put it lightly, unusual. It was scared of water, had nearly drowned itself multiple times, constantly released itself from its Poké Ball without permission, and during battles—it spaced out more than it fought.

"…I…" she stammered.

There were too many things wrong with it. In the end, all she could do was let out a long sigh.

'Sigh… it's a miracle this thing lived long enough to even be caught.'

Kai gave a small cough, trying to rein in the bickering.

"Alright, you two cut it out. Let me finish."

Everyone looked at him, sensing from his tone that there was more to the story.

"While I couldn't understand what Psyduck was thinking," Kai continued, "I could feel something… something emotional."

"Emotional?" the others repeated, confused.

"Yeah. I couldn't read its thoughts or intentions, but I could sense its mood. Vaguely. It felt relaxed completely at ease."

Ash's eyes widened. "Whoa. Seriously?"

"It's hard to explain," Kai admitted. "You know how people say the eyes are the windows to the soul? Or how you can sense someone's mood just by looking at their expression? It's kind of like that… but deeper. Even without those physical cues, I could still feel that it was in a lazy, chill state."

Ash and Misty blinked at each other clearly not fully grasping it.

But Brock and Erika both nodded thoughtfully.

"I see…" Erika murmured. "So even if the legends are exaggerated, the Sea Guardian's blessing really did give you something. Maybe this power is more real than we thought."

Kai chuckled. "Maybe. Though it's definitely not as dramatic as 'psychic communion.' But still… it's something."

"It's impressive either way," Brock added. "Being able to accurately sense your Pokémon's emotions? That's invaluable not just for Trainers, but for breeders and Pokémon doctors too. That kind of connection helps with care, trust, and healing."

Ash perked up. "Hey, can you try it on Pikachu?"

Kai turned to look at the yellow Pokémon perched on Ash's shoulder. Pikachu tilted its head, blinking at him.

"Pika?"

Kai held its gaze for a while… but then shook his head.

"Nope. Nothing. I don't feel anything at all. Looks like it only works on Water-types."

"Still amazing!" Misty grinned. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "So that means… maybe you really can swim freely underwater and connect with all Water-type Pokémon? That's a dream come true for any Water-type Trainer!"

Her mind was already racing with images: She and Kai swimming together beneath coral reefs, surrounded by playful Pokémon, gliding like spirits of the sea.

Wait—if Kai's becoming a Water-type master too… doesn't that mean we now have the same dream? Doesn't that make us a perfect match!? Even the Sea Guardian wants us together!

Of course, Kai had no idea Misty was off building romantic sea fantasies in her head. If he had known, he probably would've whacked her on the forehead and snapped her out of it.

What's with this girl's imagination?

He shrugged. "We'll see. It's not like the stone rewrote my DNA. I'll have to find a chance to dive into the ocean later and test it. But based on what I've seen so far, I doubt the blessing is quite as magical as Maya made it out to be."

---

The Whirl Cup had officially ended.

Ash, Misty, and Brock originally planned to head out and resume their journey immediately—but as soon as they heard that High Priestess Maya was holding a formal banquet in honor of the new Sea Warrior, they unanimously decided to delay their departure for a good meal.

And who could blame them? They were still teenagers, constantly traveling, and rarely got the chance to enjoy a proper feast. Brock might've been a decent cook, but campfire meals were no match for real banquet food.

While waiting for evening to fall, the group left the arena and headed toward the Pokémon Center.

On the walk there, Ash and Misty buzzed with energy, excitedly recapping the highlights of the tournament. Every competition was a learning experience, and both of them had grown from the intense battles they'd witnessed.

Before reaching the Center, Kai made a stop at a local courier service. He carefully packed his championship medal and trophy and shipped them off to Professor Cerise's lab for safekeeping.

Once back at the Center, Kai also transferred his Blastoise and red Gyarados back to the lab.

Both of them had proven themselves in the Whirl Cup. For now, they deserved a well-earned rest.

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