Chapter 138: Munchlax’s Second-Tier Friendship Unlock
Then Rio kicked him down again.
"Alright—stop the act. Have you forgotten how you acted earlier today?" Rio looked down at him, done with the charade now that Munchlax had made its choice. "If you want to keep up this performance, then honor our bet—kneel and call me ’Daddy.’"
The man froze.
"What’s wrong—don’t want to follow through? You agreed to it yourself. If Munchlax swept two of Sabrina’s Pokémon, you’d kneel and call me ’Daddy’ and apologize to Munchlax. Well, Munchlax not only swept two—it swept three. And it no longer needs your apology. All that’s left is you kneeling and calling me ’Daddy.’"
The man’s face contorted with internal struggle.
"Can’t even honor a bet? That just proves everything you said was an act—you were only trying to win Munchlax’s sympathy. Munchlax—you know what to do with someone like this, right?" Rio looked at Munchlax.
"Ka~"
Munchlax understood. It walked up to the shameless man and, using its own strength, forced his head down toward Rio—once. Twice. Three times.
After the third bow, as the man was about to be forced into a fourth, Rio stopped it. Any more and they’d be bowing a corpse.
"Alright, son—you don’t have to call me ’Daddy.’ I’ll take the sentiment." Rio patted the man’s head as he walked past, then left the Gym with Munchlax, under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
Once outside, Rio asked: "Munchlax—how do you feel?"
"Ka~"
"The little fatty says it feels great—better than ever before," Gengar translated.
"Ka~"
"It says it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off its chest. Now it just wants to eat a good meal."
Rio nodded. That was exactly the effect he wanted—to let all those buried emotions finally pour out.
He took out all his Poké Balls. One by one, flashes of light revealed Charizard, Froakie, Eevee, Gengar, Annihilape, and the Red Gyarados.
Rio looked at them and said: "Everyone—Munchlax has officially said goodbye to its past."
"Now, I have something important I want to say to all of you."
Seven Pokémon turned their attention to him.
Rio’s talk-no-jutsu activated: "Munchlax, Charizard, Froakie, Eevee, Gengar, Annihilape, Red Gyarados—I want you all to know that with me, you never have to pretend to be strong. Every single one of your emotions is something you can express openly in front of me."
"Because we’re in this together. I need you, and you need me. We help each other, and we grow together."
The seven Pokémon exchanged glances, then looked back at Rio’s earnest expression.
Notifications rang in Rio’s mind, one after another:
[Charizard’s friendship increased.]
[Friendship: 110 (from -25 to 110)]
[Annihilape’s friendship increased.]
[Friendship: 80 (from -27 to 80)]
[Red Gyarados’s friendship increased.]
[Friendship: 50 (from -20 to 50)]
[Froakie’s friendship increased.]
[Friendship: 4 (from -25 to 4)]
[Gengar’s friendship increased.]
[Friendship: -8 (from -30 to -8)]
[Eevee’s friendship increased.]
[Friendship: -10 (from -20 to -10)]
[Munchlax’s friendship increased.]
[Friendship: 110 (from -21 to 110)]
[Munchlax’s starting friendship was -21. Current friendship is 110. Increase of 131 points qualifies for Second-Tier Reward Unlock.]
[Reward Unlocked: Munchlax’s talent upgraded to Champion level. Level increased to 65. Move proficiency caps raised accordingly.]
Rio raised an eyebrow. He had been wondering why Munchlax’s friendship notification hadn’t come through yet—turns out he needed to give a rousing speech first.
And Froakie was now only one point away from unlocking its friendship reward. As soon as that last point came through, he’d switch its Poké Ball and trigger the unlock.
He took out Munchlax’s Luxury Ball and recalled it. Though this reward didn’t include a Move Disk—just a boost to talent, level, and move proficiency—Rio was more than satisfied. After all, Munchlax’s first-tier reward had been seriously overpowered: a Lucky Stone blessed by Arceus, which essentially turned its Metronome into a divine move—even letting it roll Arceus’s own signature move. How insane was that?
This second-tier reward, while not as incredible as Charizard’s, was still solid. A man should know when to be content.
He held the ball for five seconds, then released Munchlax again. Its body was slightly larger than before, and its stats had updated:
[Pokémon: Munchlax]
[Level: 65 (Time until next level: 1000 days.)]
[Talent: Champion]
[Friendship: 110 (from -21 to 110)]
[Ability: Pickup]
[Gender: Male]
[Moves: Tackle (95%), Metronome (95%), Defense Curl (95%), Amnesia (95%), Rest (95%), Lick (95%), Covet (95%), Bite (95%), Stockpile (95%), Body Slam (95%), Fling (95%), Rollout (95%), Natural Gift (95%), Last Resort (95%), Take Heart (95%)]
[Description: This Munchlax has let go of its inner conflict. Long ago, it once...]
Rio nodded approvingly at the enhanced Munchlax. At Level 65, using Metronome shouldn’t drain its stamina as severely as before.
"Ka~" Munchlax looked at Rio and pointed at its stomach.
Rio understood and smiled: "Let’s go, Munchlax—today you can eat as much as you want. I’ve got plenty of money."
Just then, his phone rang. He picked it up—it was Erika, the Celadon Gym Leader.