Corsola?
No, it's Laziness Coral.
Few Pokémon are so perpetually gloomy and constantly "emo", but it seems that the Galarian Corsola is an expert in this field.
It is vastly different from the always energetic, even possessing the Vitality Trait, regular Corsola. It even has a frown on its symbolic mouth.
Constantly expressing some kind of lethargy or dissatisfaction.
Looking at it, Baimu felt as if he could hear it saying, "I'm already dead, what more do you want," "Come on, even the coral is gone, you won't let me lie down in peace," "Please let me die quietly."
Of course, all of this came from Baimu's imagination.
After separating from Xiaosheng, he completely immersed himself in communicating with the Galarian Corsola—if one-sided communication counts as communicating.
Fortunately, although this guy doesn't consume voluntarily delivered Essence, it cannot resist glowing food, especially Pokémon food specially prepared for it. It devours all it can eat, expelling smoke from the hole on its forehead, covering the bowl, and when the smoke retracts, the bowl is empty.
At least the money Baimu spent in the culinary room wasn't wasted.
Unfortunately, after eating, it becomes depressed again, turning into a stone and playing dead... No, it's actually already in a post-death state.
As long as no one attacks it, it does absolutely nothing.
No matter how much Baimu poked it, there was zero response.
This self-contained state persisted until Deino came over and took a bite.
Perhaps due to the Trainer being overly attentive to the Galarian Corsola, causing it some dissatisfaction, or perhaps the Galarian Corsola ignoring the Trainer made it seem like a brat inviting trouble, generating discontent.
In any case, Deino was quite annoyed with the Galarian Corsola.
And as a blind dragon, the most direct way to express discontent is—collision and biting.
Baimu hadn't reacted yet when Deino took a bite with a howl.
Crunch.
The attacked Galarian Corsola had had enough. While it may not provoke trouble, it certainly isn't afraid of death. It instantly initiated combat mode, extending all its tentacles and launching a bite at Deino.
Its smoke-like tentacles jabbed, and emerald light flowed along the tentacles into Deino's body.
At first, Baimu panicked a bit, but then instinctively reacted.
Isn't that [Absorption Power]!
Indeed.
Sucked by the Galarian Corsola, Deino's biting force noticeably weakened. Seeing that biting didn't work, Deino started surreptitiously accumulating energy in its mouth...
"Hey! That's not allowed!"
Baimu swiftly intervened to prevent Deino from wrecking everything in the room.
"Mo ~nu~"
Deino felt a bit wronged, hence forcibly demanded a hand to nibble.
He decisively abandoned his left hand, touching the Galarian Corsola with his right hand, "Don't be tense, fighting is wrong, I'll reprimand—"
Before finishing his sentence, the latter had already shrunk away.
Baimu: "..."
It's a bit disrespectful!
He was thinking this when he saw the Galarian Corsola's eyes light up again, extending the smoke-like tentacles to jab him lightly.
Hmm... no sensation?
Aren't you absorbing energy?
What's the point? A polite response?
Baimu decided to consult outside assistance, establishing a long-distance connection with N in Pyrite Town, "Help!"
"What's going on?"
N's face eternally displayed a warm smile, soon witnessing the lazy Galarian Corsola.
After a round of explanations.
N began attempting to remotely communicate with the Galarian Corsola...
No response.
"It seems it isn't fond of communicating with others," said the green-haired youth: "This is actually quite common among Pokémon. Just like humans, some individuals struggle with communication. Instead of language, you could try more physical interactions."
"Physical interactions?"
"Yes, things like petting, gentle tapping, or even some Pokémon massage techniques. Once it becomes familiar with you, it might improve a lot."
"Got it."
Baimu nodded, lowered his speaking frequency, and increased his stroking frequency, just like he used to rub that piece of wooden plaque.
Possibly due to spending extended periods underwater and being corroded by seawater, the Galarian Corsola's surface appeared smooth but was actually quite rough.
"If I use sandpaper would you hit me?"
He casually asked, but figured the Galarian Corsola wouldn't know what sandpaper is, slowly starting to rub with one hand.
Not rubbing much.
The Galarian Corsola briefly revealed its eyes and tentacles; upon realizing Baimu was handling it, it retracted once more.
Is that a sign of trust?
Baimu was unsure, so he used the voice function to operate his phone's Illustrated Guide.
On the Illustrated Guide, details about the Galarian Corsola were as follows.
[Pokémon: Corsola (Galarian form)]
[Attribute: Ghost]
[Gender: Female]
[Height: 53 cm / 0.48 kg]
[Trait: Cursed Body]
[Level: 35]
[Moves: Tackle / Harden / Astonish / Body Freeze Technique]
[Primordial Power / Misfortune Never Comes Alone / Curse / Tide Spin]
[Absorption Power / Shared Fate / Black Mist / Mysterious Light]
Dream trait, twelve moves at level thirty-five, as a Wild Pokémon, the Galarian Corsola was indeed excellent; the clues listed weren't deceiving.
Despite being a low-speed Pokémon, Baimu knew that rather than waiting for a Pokémon fitting the team's configuration to come along, he'd be better off seeking a suitable one himself.
It's just the Galarian Corsola's lethargic personality that's truly exasperating.
How exactly can he stimulate its enthusiasm?
Baimu pondered briefly, deciding to let the Galarian Corsola acclimate to having multiple meals a day, then suddenly stop feeding it and halt the handling process.
——
Two days after the fishing event ended.
Milotic reached Xiaosheng's destination, the Unova region.
Strictly speaking, the time spent interacting wasn't very long, but Xiaosheng still developed quite a favorable impression of Baimu, especially since the latter also saved him.
"Goodbye, Brother Baimu!"
Xiaosheng waved goodbye from the pier, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice, "When I return to Hoenn, let's battle again! Next time, I'll definitely win!"
For Pokémon Trainers, the best way to express themselves is undoubtedly through Pokémon battles.
In hot-blooded combat, both sides can accurately and unmistakably feel each other's determination.
"Alright!"
Baimu waved in return, his face brimming with smiles.
As a ten-year-old boy just setting out, Xiaosheng still appeared quite immature, reckless, and with a strong sense of justice, not much stronger than Ash Ketchum during his early days.
But Xiaosheng had his strengths: humility and an ability to learn from mistakes.
Having cared for Qianli's Pokémon at the Petalburg Gym once enabled his Kirlia and Shuppet to lay a solid foundation, so even without Xiaogang accompanying him, it's likely his Pokémon's future won't be easy to beat.
And soon after.
He also needed to embark on a new journey.
A familiar yet unfamiliar land was awaiting him.