Chapter 275: Just the Right Amount of Force! Stunned, Not Concussed (Membership Extra - )

Chapter 275: Just the Right Amount of Force! Stunned, Not Concussed (Membership Extra Chapter)

[Regular-Seat Chat Group]

"Am I hallucinating? Somebody slap me so I can make sure."

"I’LL DO IT!!!"

"HOLY SHIT! YOU ACTUALLY HIT ME?!"

"Just the right amount of force—stunned, not concussed."

"My mom just asked why I was kneeling while watching the livestream. I told her I was on a pilgrimage."

"A pilgrimage? You’re worshipping the Duck Saint! Quax-men!"

"QUAX-MEN! LONG LIVE QUAX-MEN!!"

[VIP Chat Group]

[Wallace]: Elegant. Far too elegant. This Quaxwell isn’t simply dancing—it feels like it’s writing poetry with its body. Every movement looks as though it’s being guided by some higher-dimensional sense of aesthetics.

[Brawly]: What I want to know now is how Quaxwell developed those leg muscles. Even Fighting-type Pokémon need years to achieve that level of muscular control. What right does a Water-type Pokémon have to be this good?!

[Greta]: I’ve seen all kinds of Fighting-type Pokémon using high-speed movement at the Battle Frontier, but not a single one could enter that kind of gliding motion instantly from a complete standstill. That level of muscular precision can’t be explained by mere "training" anymore.

[Rika]: Where did it even learn those moves? Fine, maybe discipline can explain the muscles—but that dance couldn’t possibly be something it figured out entirely on its own too, right?

[Leon]: First self-discipline, then self-teaching. Behold—the self-made duck.

[Maylene]: I’m incredibly curious about what it’ll be like after evolving. Quaxwell is already this ridiculous. What’s going to happen when it becomes Quaquaval?

[Raihan]: What Quaquaval? That’s clearly Master Ducky!

The video continued playing.

There was absolutely no suspense during the judging.

Quaxwell received a perfect score and won the Hearthome Collection.

Hina had barely hugged the trophy to her chest and hadn’t even had time to thank anyone before Quaxwell slid out from behind her.

Still moonwalking, it glided all the way to the front edge of the stage.

Then it removed the bowler hat from its head, gave the audience a slight bow—

And moonwalked all the way back to Hina’s side.

The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, without a single unnecessary pause.

The audience erupted into applause and screams once again.

After the awards ceremony, Hina returned backstage with the trophy in her arms.

Quaxwell followed behind her.

The instant it stepped through the backstage door—

The entire dressing room exploded.

All the contestants who had been removing makeup or packing away their props simultaneously turned their heads.

Their gazes locked onto Quaxwell like spotlights.

The next second—

More than a dozen people rushed over at once and surrounded it.

"MASTER DUCKY! How did you learn that dance?! Can you teach me?!"

"Master Ducky! Can I get a photo with you?! Just one!"

"Master Ducky! How did you do that full 360-degree spin?! I’ve practiced so many times and I still can’t pull it off!"

"Master Duck! Are you accepting disciples?! I can polish your shoes every single day!"

Surrounded in the middle of the crowd, Quaxwell calmly raised its right wing in a "pause" gesture.

Then it pulled out its usual pen and a fresh napkin.

It wrote down a sentence and held it up for everyone to see.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. PLEASE LINE UP FOR AUTOGRAPHS. NO CROWDING.

Hina stood outside the crowd hugging her trophy.

Shaymin poked its head out of her bag.

"Hina, Violent Duck seems really popular."

Hina nodded.

"Mm. Ducky seems to like this kind of atmosphere..."

"Then let’s wait over here for a little while."

Quaxwell’s autograph session lasted a full twenty minutes.

By the time it finally escaped the autograph frenzy, it hadn’t even gotten the chance to wipe the fog from its sunglasses before—

FLASH!

An extremely bright camera flash exploded directly in front of it.

"That’s the moment!"

A short-haired woman carrying a camera squeezed halfway through the crowd.

Her lens was practically touching Quaxwell’s bowler hat.

"That pose you just did! Could you do it one more time, please?!"

The shutter began firing like a string of firecrackers.

Immediately afterward, another woman with her hair tied in a bun squeezed in from the other side.

She held a voice recorder in one hand and thrust it directly toward Hina’s mouth.

"Excuse me, Quaxwell’s Trainer!"

"As the Champion of this year’s Hearthome Collection, how would you evaluate Quaxwell’s talent for dancing?"

"Was that performance the result of special training you personally gave it?"

"Or was Quaxwell simply born as a once-in-a-century genius duck?!"

Hina’s cheeks visibly changed from pale pink to deep red.

She instinctively retreated half a step behind Quaxwell.

Then she let out a muffled whimper.

"D-Ducky... save me..."

Quaxwell was retreating too.

One girl and one duck began pushing against each other as they slowly backed toward the corner.

Only then did Alexa realize she’d gotten far too close.

She quickly pulled the recorder back and gave Hina an apologetic smile.

"Sorry! I’m Alexa, a traveling reporter from the Kalos region."

"This is my younger sister, Viola. She’s traveling around Sinnoh with me."

"We really don’t mean any harm. We just wanted to take a couple of—"

Viola stopped halfway through her sentence.

Her gaze had landed on Hina.

Her entire body froze as though someone had pressed a pause button.

"...So cute."

Viola cupped both cheeks in her hands.

Stars practically appeared in her eyes.

"Please! Can I take a few pictures of you too?"

Hina immediately hugged the trophy against her chest like a shield.

Her eyes darted rapidly between Alexa and Viola, as though calculating which escape route had the highest probability of success.

"U-Um..."

"Ah! Sorry, sorry! We scared you, didn’t we?"

Alexa hurriedly grabbed Viola and pulled her backward.

"Viola, put the camera away!"

Viola finally snapped back to her senses.

She clasped both hands together.

"Sorry! I got too excited."

Quaxwell pushed up its sunglasses with one wing.

Then it extended its right wing toward Alexa.

Alexa froze for a second before reaching out and shaking the white-gloved wing up and down.

"Oh my. Master Ducky’s feathers have such a beautiful sheen."

"Have you studied Pokémon grooming before?"

Hina shook her head.

"Um... n-not exactly..."

"It’s just that at our family’s Day Care..."

"When I help out..."

"I’ve learned... a little..."

"A Day Care?!"

Viola poked half her body out from behind her sister.

"You’re a Pokémon Breeder?"

"Mm..."

"Sort of..."

"I’m only a beginner..."

Hina shrank another half-inch behind Quaxwell, her voice becoming softer and softer.

"Mom and Dad handle most of it..."

"I just... help out..."

Viola suddenly snapped her head toward Alexa.

Her eyes clearly said—

Sis, look! This is fate!

Alexa raised an eyebrow.

She knew her younger sister far too well.

That expression meant whatever Viola was about to say next was definitely not something minor.

"Hina!"

Viola suddenly clasped both hands together and bent forward nearly forty-five degrees.

"I have a huge favor to ask!"

"H-Huh?!"

Hina jumped at the sudden bow.

...

TL: Thanks to Sonic_Fan_06 for Tier 3 Membership!