Woo~~~ Woo woo~~
Darkness loomed in the night, and it was even more eerie in Lavender Town. When Terrance was feeling happy at Mismagius’ successful evolution, Mismagius, however, cried out in warning.
Terrance’s eyes twitched, and as he turned around, he saw several ethereal Will-O-Wisps and eyes filled with anger staring at him. Terrance felt a chill down his spine.
“Run!”
Terrance exclaimed, disregarding the difficulty of running on the night path, and without a second thought, he fled the scene with Mismagius. Tonight, due to Mismagius’ disturbance, the “energy food” of the entire town almost disappeared, leaving some Ghost-type Pokémon without snacks. Terrance and his Pokémon had incurred their wrath, and they were chased all the way….
Although Terrance ran fast, he underestimated the speed and number of Gastlys. When he was intercepted, he had to send out Mismagius and Altaria to block and negotiate.
The crucial one was Mismagius. This incident was caused by it, and it took the initiative to communicate with these Ghost-type Pokémon. Due to the shared Ghost nature, the other party generously forgave them. After all, it was just a night’s snack, nothing unforgivable.
After warning Terrance several times, the Ghosts flew away. Being away from Pokémon Tower for a long time also affected them, which was why they didn’t investigate the matter further. Seeing that nothing serious happened in the end, Terrance breathed a sigh of relief. This was the best outcome.
He thought he would have to pay some price, but these Ghosts unexpectedly turned out to be reasonable. As for what would happen next, although he was eager to know about Mismagius’ evolution, he pushed it off to the next day due to exhaustion and sleepiness.
On the second day after resting, when Terrance woke up, it was almost noon. After getting everything ready, he hurriedly ran to the Pokémon Center, recorded the post-evolution status and basic information of Mismagius using the Pokédex, and sent it back to Crown Academy.
Next, Terrance needed to challenge Sabrina of Saffron Gym, a formidable opponent even more terrifying than Kiyo. Challenging without any preparation was impossible, so Terrance had to consider his Pokémon first, thoroughly understand the newly evolved Altaria and Mismagius, and let them adapt to the feeling after evolution.
On the grassy path from Lavender Town to Saffron City.
This was already the third day after Little Misdreavus evolved. It took a full three days to ensure that Mismagius could fully control its body, and bring out more than 95% of its strength.
This is a cognitive process for both the Trainer and Pokémon when encountering something new. As a breeder, Terrance often pays attention to details, and he wouldn’t make the mistake of not understanding the consequences of his Pokémon’s evolution.
“Drip… Drip…”
Staring at the information registered on the Pokédex for Altaria, Mismagius, Beautifly, and Growlithe, Terrance pondered seriously for a long time. Things were different now compared to a year ago, so their moves, once mastered to certain proficiency, had to undergo a new round of replacements.
As one grows, they can comprehend even more powerful moves. By practicing and repeating numerous times, especially focusing on highly practical moves, and engraving a truly useful move into one’s core through countless repetitions, a Pokémon is considered truly “mature.” It is only then that it can truly grow up enough to stand on its own.
Otherwise, in Terrance’s perception, they belonged to the phase of “still growing” or “moveset under development,” a training period where strategic choices could change at any moment.
Of course, most of his Pokémon currently fell into this period.
“Are you a Trainer? Can we have a battle?”
“Of course.” Terrance replied.
Following that, Terrance effortlessly crushed the short pants-wearing youngster using Beautifly.
Although his Beautifly wasn’t as rare as the opponent’s Raticate, it had undergone extensive training. Beautifly was currently Terrance’s longest-trained Pokémon, approaching three years.
The perfected Airflow Perception and String Shot were Beautifly’s foundation in current battles.
In addition to these, Electroweb and Giga Drain, built upon String Shot, were also moves frequently used as combos. Taking a step back, there was the “Solar Beam” it learned at the Sunlight House, Silver Wind’s Stun Spore, serving as potentially impactful moves in specific situations.
As for a move like Air Cutter, the effort and payoff for Beautifly didn’t proportionally match. Rather than wasting time on it, Terrance preferred to study moves that suited its strengths. What was once a powerful offensive move for Beautifly was now defined by Terrance as a disruptive move.
Lastly, Quiver Dance serves as an indicator of whether Beautifly is exerting its full power. After entering the Quiver Dance state, Beautifly truly enters its explosive phase. Coupled with the “Swarm” Ability and the “Morning Sun” move, which Beautifly learned by going the wrong way at the beginning and running into a fork in the road, causing it become very proficient in “Morning Sun”, it has become a standard for Beautifly’s full strength battles.
If Terrance were to give Beautifly a strength assessment based on its performance in the Tower of Despair at the academy and the past standards of the Graduation Class students, he believes that Beautifly, as a main Pokémon with a level of proficiency averaging in the top three of a League Conference, is absolutely capable.
Then there’s Growlithe, who has been with Terrance for less than a year. Due to Terrance’s improved breeding skills and resource situation compared to the beginning, this little fellow is living the most comfortable life and progressing relatively quickly.
As a majestic Pokémon, Terrance has also daydreamed about the passionate scene of leading Arcanine, igniting the entire battlefield. The image of a roaring Flamethrower or Fire Blast that engulfs the entire arena – wouldn’t that be the epitome of a man’s romance?
However, Growlithe veered off course, and Terrance couldn’t bring it back on track. When it comes to Growlithe’s “Flamethrower” and the “Fire Blast” it learned to control energy, though they are barely passable, compared to Terrance’s expectations, they only prompt an embarrassed “hehe.”
After discovering that Growlithe lacked innate talent in its bite, Terrance decided not to force it to practice moves like “Crunch” or “Fire Fang” any longer.
Terrance can only allow Growlithe to showcase its talents in “Flame Wheel,” “Agility,” and “Take Down.” This is currently Terrance’s primary focus of supervision. Simultaneously, as Growlithe grows, Terrance feels that it’s getting closer to comprehending the move “Flare Blitz.”
Flare Blitz: Cover the whole body in flames and charge at the opponent, but the user also takes a considerable amount of damage.
This move is almost a stronger version, a fusion of “Agility,” “Take Down,” and “Flame Wheel.” After comprehending this move, Growlithe should be able to enjoy battles to its heart’s content even more. This type of self-harm battle… sometimes Terrance doesn’t quite understand why Growlithe is so obsessed about it.
The battle style causes too much harm to itself, which was the reason Terrance initially rejected it. Although it was for Growlithe’s own good, it seems he couldn’t convince the other side.
It took Terrance a long time to decide to let Growlithe continue developing in this way. This is Growlithe’s “personality,” even though it deviates a bit from Terrance’s vision. After all, it’s the Pokémon’s own choice, and he can’t forcibly distort it. It’s better to let nature take its course; he can only strive to provide Growlithe with better guidance and the best possible care in the future.
When Growlithe comprehends Flare Blitz, it should be the time when Terrance prepares for Growlithe’s evolution. With a brand new robust body and subsequently comprehending “Extreme Speed,” Terrance can confidently allow Growlithe to truly engage in high-intensity battles.
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