Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect-Chapter 239: Vigoroth’s Road To The Future!

John yanked the rope, bracing himself on the speeding boat as Greninja held the other end. The ocean churned beneath them, waves crashing in a symphony of power and motion.

"Gyarados, bring in some more waves!" he shouted, his voice barely carrying over the roar of the sea.

With a thunderous bellow, Gyarados surged forward, summoning a massive swell. The wave pushed forward mightily, and John, alongside Greninja, used the momentum to glide smoothly across the surface. They weaved effortlessly through the cresting waves, carving through the water like pros. Before the wave even crashed, they were already a hundred meters ahead, riding its energy with perfect precision.

"Now that was sick!" John whooped, exhilarated.

Every morning, he started his day with a surf session. There was no better way to wake up than conquering the ocean with his Pokemon. After weeks of training, he had nearly perfected his technique. If he timed everything right, he was confident he could dominate the bestest of surfers in the world. It was only a matter of time.

Pulling his boat ashore, John stretched out, rolling his shoulders to ease the tension. Then, it was back to the house for breakfast, a shower, and another day of his laid-back yet fulfilling routine.

Just as he was stepping inside, a blur of white leaped in front of him.

"Chirp! Quack! Quack!"

A strange mix between Torchic's chirp and Froakie's croak?

John blinked in confusion before realization hit—standing before him was a Vigoroth.

"No way... you evolved?!" he exclaimed. The Slakoth he had received from Norman had spent most of its time lazing around, barely lifting a paw. Now, after all that downtime, it had finally evolved.

Curious, John pulled up its stats on his Gameboy.

[Vigoroth (Normal-Type)}

 [LV: 18]

 [Ability: Motivation (Prevents sleep; Rest becomes unusable.)]

 [IVs: HP (31), Attack (31), Special Attack (31), Defense (31), Special Defense (31), Speed (31)]

[Moves: Yawn, Uproar, Fury Swipes, Slash, Endure, Focus Energy, Encore]

[Held Item: None]

Not bad. Even without battling, Slakoth had managed to grow stronger just by eating and sleeping. But John hadn't expected it to evolve this quickly. He had braced himself for months of waiting before it reached this stage.

Now that Vigoroth was here, he had to make the most of this training window before it evolved again. If he planned things right, he could mold it into an absolute powerhouse before it became a Slaking.

First on the list? Mastering two essential skills: Hariyama's Combat Techniques and Force Palm. Norman's Slaking had already demonstrated how deadly this combo could be, and John needed to replicate it.

Thinking about Norman's LV 70 Slaking still made him shudder. The sheer power behind that thing's attacks was absurd. With a base Attack stat of 160, it rivaled even legendary Pokemon.

Of course, reality wasn't the same as the games, but even here, Slaking was an absolute monster—strong enough to toy with pseudo-legendaries.

John had sparred against Norman's team to gain experience, but there was no way he could take on Slaking in a head-on fight. His strategy was all about speed and technique, not brute force.

If it weren't for Norman's strict training manual, which forbade Vigoroth from holding an Everstone, John would've considered keeping it from evolving just a little longer. It would've given him more time to drill those advanced techniques into its muscle memory. Once it became a Slaking, its lazy nature would make skill development far harder.

The key question now was whether Vigoroth could grasp Hariyama's Combat Techniques and Force Palm before evolution. Slaking evolved at LV 36, which meant John had eighteen levels to get it up to speed. The experience gain might slow down compared to Slakoth's passive growth, but with intense training, it wouldn't take that long.

Time was of the essence.

The second priority? Training its latent aura abilities until it could wield Aura Sphere.

John had only recently discovered that Slakoth had aura potential. It was a total game-changer. There was no way he'd let that talent go to waste. Vigoroth needed to learn Aura Sphere—needed to. It wasn't just an option; it was a requirement.

The third focus was refining its existing moves for maximum efficiency.

Originally, John had planned for it to learn a few AOE skills to cover large areas, but after reconsidering, he realized it wasn't necessary. Once Slaking evolved, he could just use TMs to bypass the learning process entirely.

Speaking of which, John opened his backpack and scrolled through the skill TMs he had collected in the game.

"Might as well put these to use," he muttered before activating them.

Immediately, Vigoroth absorbed the knowledge, gaining four powerful moves: Focus Blast, Thunder, Blizzard, and Hyper Beam.

Four out of the seven TMs he had purchased in Lilycove City were compatible. Not bad.

Three other moves—Giga Impact, Stone Edge, and Hyper Beam—were also on his list. Stone Edge wasn't possible for Vigoroth, but once it became a Slaking, it could learn the other two.

For defense, he'd also make sure it learned Protect.

Slaking's versatility in move selection wasn't an issue, but proficiency mattered. If Vigoroth mastered the key techniques before evolving, it would make Slaking's training so much easier.

Of course, aura mastery wouldn't happen overnight, so Aura Sphere training would be a long-term project.

For now, John focused on Vigoroth's close-combat proficiency, selecting moves that would synergize best with its future Slaking form.

Top of the list? Mega Punch and Body Slam. Both were raw power moves that didn't require complex mechanics—just brute strength and precise execution.

The only problem? He needed an instructor for them.

"Guess I'll have to stop by the training center at school," he mused. "See if any of the teachers can help out."

One way or another, John was going to push Vigoroth to its limits before evolution. Once it became a Slaking, the lazy nature would set in, making training infinitely harder.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

This was the moment.

He cracked his knuckles, grinning at Vigoroth.

"Hope you're ready for some real training," he said. "Because we're about to take things up a notch."

Vigoroth pounded its chest and let out a fierce cry.