Chapter 319: This Is Basically a Human Psychic-Type Pokémon

The video continued playing.

Quite a bit of time seemed to have passed again.

Aurelia and Selene now looked about seven or eight years old. Their silver-white hair had grown considerably, and both girls had shot up in height.

Aurelia had cut her hair short, just below her ears, making her heterochromatic eyes stand out even more.

Selene, meanwhile, wore her hair in curls. From a distance, it looked like she had a fluffy silver-white cloud sitting on her head.

Their Ralts had also evolved into Kirlia.

After evolving, the golden-crested Kirlia carried itself with elegant restraint. Even in battle, it understood how to exercise moderation.

The silver-crested Kirlia, on the other hand, had apparently spent far too much time around Selene.

Its mannerisms had somehow acquired the air of a "business tycoon," and that only became more obvious after evolution.

Every day, it followed Selene to stand guard outside Saffron Gym, doing its part to lay the foundations for the future Sun-Moon Group.

"Hey, how about buying a share?"

Selene shoved a business card into a Trainer’s hand.

"Think of it as making a new friend!"

"Uh..."

"I’m just here to challenge the Gym."

"I know!"

Selene smiled as brightly as a little sun.

"Have you challenged Saffron Gym before?"

"...No."

"Do you understand the Gym Leader’s Psychic-type battle style?"

"Not really..."

"Exactly!"

Selene pulled a small booklet from beneath the table.

"This is the Sun-Moon Group’s Complete Guide to Challenging Saffron Gym!"

"It contains detailed information on the Gym Leader’s commonly used Pokémon and battle habits."

"Invest now and you get one for free!"

"I guarantee you’ll understand exactly how you lost!"

The Trainer was left slightly dazed by the barrage of sales talk.

Almost instinctively, he replied:

"Th-Then..."

"I’ll take one?"

"Excellent choice!"

Selene accepted the money and slapped another card into his palm.

"And here’s a complimentary Sun-Moon Group membership card!"

"Show this card and you can avoid getting turned into a doll if the Gym Leader happens to be in a bad mood~"

"T-Turned into a doll?"

The Trainer’s face was already going pale.

"Is that actually real?"

"Oh, don’t worry!"

"That was an old tradition. It hardly ever happens anymore."

Selene stood up and proudly patted her chest.

"And even if you’re really unlucky, it’s fine!"

"Come find me afterward and I’ll turn you back for free."

The Trainer walked into the Gym in a daze.

His steps were unsteady, and his retreating figure carried the tragic air of a warrior marching toward certain death.

[VIP Chat Group]

[Volkner]: Selene really is a business prodigy. Invest and get a Gym challenge guide for free? She’s got a whole sales pitch ready. Even I’m starting to feel tempted.

[Raihan]: How is that a free strategy guide? She’s blatantly collecting protection money!

[Flint]: The challenger hasn’t even entered the Gym yet and already got hit with that entire speech. Anyone with weak nerves would probably turn around and leave before Sabrina even had to do anything.

[Lillie]: Um... do people really get turned into dolls when they challenge Saffron Gym? That’s a little scary...

[Ash]: Yeah, it’s real. Misty and Brock both got turned into dolls back then.

[May]: I-Is it really that extreme? Then how did you guys get away?

[Brock]: I think Haunter made Sabrina laugh, and that’s when the rest of us changed back.

[Mallow]: That’s terrifying... But if you look at it that way, Selene offering to turn people back for free actually makes investing sound pretty worthwhile!

[Lorelei]: So fundamentally, she’s selling insurance. Selene is absolutely going to become a business giant when she grows up.

The video continued playing.

Saffron Gym training hall.

Aurelia stood at the center of the training area with her eyes gently closed and her breathing even.

Her short silver hair drifted slightly in the faint currents created by her psychic power.

Thirty-seven iron balls, each roughly the size of a fist, floated around her body.

Every single one moved in a circular orbit at exactly the same speed.

The golden Kirlia stood beside Aurelia with both hands slightly spread.

Its psychic power covered the entire training hall, ready to catch any iron ball that slipped out of control.

Sabrina stood at the edge of the training area with her arms folded.

Her long hair lifted gently in the breeze.

"Aurelia."

"Focus."

"Yes, Mom."

Aurelia took a deep breath.

A faint blue glow appeared in her heterochromatic eyes.

All thirty-seven iron balls accelerated simultaneously.

Their steady rotation became a high-speed blur.

Aurelia squeezed her eyes shut.

Tiny beads of sweat appeared across her forehead, but her posture remained completely motionless.

Sabrina watched quietly for more than ten minutes before finally giving a slight nod.

"You can stop."

Only then did Aurelia breathe out.

A thin sheen of sweat had formed beneath her silver bangs.

The golden Kirlia gently waved one hand.

The iron balls formed an orderly line and dropped one after another into a storage basket in the corner of the training hall.

"Your control was very precise."

Sabrina walked over to Aurelia and wiped her forehead with a towel.

"That’s enough for today."

"Mom, I can still do another set."

Aurelia looked up at her.

"Overtraining will only make you dependent on your power."

Sabrina brushed aside the damp strands of hair stuck to Aurelia’s forehead.

"Besides, you need to keep a closer eye on Selene lately."

"She’s skipped too many training sessions."

"Understood."

Aurelia neatly folded the towel and placed it on the bench.

"I’ll bring Selene back."

"Mm."

Sabrina turned away, her long black hair lightly swaying behind her.

"Your dad is coming home early today."

"I need to head back and start cooking."

"Okay."

Less than three minutes after Sabrina left the training-hall door was pushed open just enough to create a narrow gap.

A silver-white curly head poked through.

Then came a face wearing an excessively bright smile.

"Big Sis, finished training?"

Selene hung from the doorframe as though she had no bones at all.

Her silver Kirlia hung from her shoulder in exactly the same pose.

The synchronization between Trainer and Pokémon was astonishing.

Aurelia glanced at the clock nearby.

"You still have five minutes before you’re late."

"I know!"

"I timed it perfectly!"

Selene bounded over to Aurelia in a few quick steps.

"Did Mom say what we’re having for dinner tonight?"

"Mom said I need to supervise your training."

Aurelia ignored the question and pulled the conversation straight back on track.

"You haven’t completed your required training for four days in a row."

Selene’s expression immediately collapsed.

"Big Sis, you know how boring that training routine is..."

"I have to bend a spoon with psychic power one hundred times, then bend it back one hundred times."

"What does that have to do with the grand enterprise I’m going to build in the future?!"

"All right."

Aurelia walked to the edge of the training area and took a wooden practice sword from the rack.

She spun it halfway around in her hand.

"We won’t practice control today."

"Instead..."

"We’ll practice reaction speed."

"Hahahaha!"

Selene planted both hands on her hips and laughed.

"That’s practically nothing!"

"For someone who makes her living with her brain, reaction speed is obviously—"

"AH!"

Aurelia suddenly unleashed a Psycho Cut.

Selene instinctively threw herself sideways.

The force of the slash swept past her head, lifting three strands of hair straight into the air.

"Big Sis!"

"At least warn me first!"

"Still too slow."

Aurelia once again concentrated psychic power along the wooden sword.

"Again."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!"

Selene frantically waved both hands.

"At least let me warm up first!"

Aurelia said nothing.

She merely continued swinging Psycho Cut after Psycho Cut.