Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Changes in Zubat and Gloom
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Following Sato's training regimen, Zubat was now diligently practicing the move Air Cutter. After five days of rigorous training, Zubat had become proficient in the technique, able to execute it smoothly.
With a flap of its wings, infused with strong Flying-type energy, Zubat generated a powerful wind comparable to a level-seven gust. Ten crescent-shaped air blades appeared instantly within the wind, arranged in a fan-like formation to perform a wide-range attack. Each of the air blades was about 20 centimeters in diameter.
As the crescent-shaped air blades materialized, Zubat's wings, still enveloped in Flying-type energy, twitched slightly. Three of the blades shifted their trajectories slightly, striking the trunk of a nearby tree one after another.
"Well done, Zubat. Your control over the air blades has improved significantly. You can now manipulate three blades at once. Keep up the hard work! Once you master turning Air Cutter from a wide-range move into a single-target attack, your strength will see a substantial increase," Sato praised Zubat after seeing its successful execution of the move.
Hearing Sato's encouragement, the somewhat winded Zubat nodded happily and resumed practicing Air Cutter. However, at this point, it could only control three air blades, still a bit away from managing a fourth.
In Sato's view, the potential of Air Cutter was immense. The move's principle was to release air blades in a small area (fan-shaped) all at once. The number of blades depended on the user's capabilities.
The only downside was that once the air blades were created, their trajectories became unpredictable. Essentially, they would randomly strike within a certain range, which made the move less powerful than it could be, failing to maximize its damage.
Of course, since the Pokémon itself created the air blades, they could theoretically control them. But this required a high level of mastery over the move.
Being able to produce air blades meant the Pokémon had reached an entry-level mastery of the technique. Creating ten air blades signified the Pokémon had reached a proficient level with Air Cutter. To fully unleash the move's power, however, flexible control over the blades was essential.
In Sato's ideal version of the move, Zubat would merge the air blades into one giant blade for a powerful strike on the enemy. Zubat still had a way to go before reaching this ultimate form of Air Cutter.
However, Sato couldn't help but wonder—if Zubat could indeed transform Air Cutter into the powerful single-target move he envisioned, how would it differ from Air Slash, a move that Zubat could only learn at a higher level? For now, he had no clear answers to this.
(Note: Air Slash is a Flying-type special single-target move with a base power of 75. The move uses a blade of air that can supposedly cut through the sky (though this may be exaggerated). It sometimes causes the target to flinch.)
After a week of surviving in the dangerous wild, Zubat had undergone significant changes. Unknowingly, it had reached level 24. If this were a game, Zubat would already have enough experience to evolve.
What puzzled Sato, though, was that Zubat had shown no signs of evolving. Instead, perhaps due to adapting to the intense wild battles or benefiting from the more nutritious diet, Zubat had grown considerably.
A week ago, Zubat's wingspan was about 0.8 meters, and it weighed 8.2 kg, with a daily diet of about 8 liters of blood. Now, Zubat's wingspan had grown to 1.2 meters, and its weight had increased to 10.3 kg, with a daily intake of 12 liters of blood.
Without a doubt, Zubat now resembled a small falcon, a full-fledged giant bat. Its increased size had also enhanced its endurance, and its larger, stronger wings allowed it to unleash even more powerful Flying-type moves.
Sato wasn't too surprised by this noticeable growth in Zubat over the week. The high-intensity battles were continuously pushing Zubat to its limits. Subconsciously, Zubat desired to become physically stronger. Coupled with its change in diet from cow blood to the richer wild deer blood, along with a steady increase in its food intake, and the calcium tablets Sato gave it daily to promote growth, it would have been strange if Zubat hadn't experienced some significant changes.
On the other side, Gloom was busy practicing the Grass-type move Grass Knot. With its strong control over Grass-type energy, Gloom had now mastered the move, reaching a Proficient level of move mastery.
Gloom stood in the middle of a clearing, with ten scattered wooden blocks placed around her within a ten-meter radius. Each block was about two meters in diameter and three meters tall.
Suddenly, a bright green glow burst from Gloom's body. Immediately, vibrant green grass, formed from Grass-type energy, sprouted beneath the ten wooden blocks and quickly began to wrap around them. However, out of the ten blocks, only six were fully covered by the energy-infused grass, while the remaining four were only entangled up to the midpoint.
Gloom's role in Sato's team had become increasingly versatile. With her ability to pair Growth with Energy Ball and Razor Leaf, she could serve as an attacker. When using powders in tandem with Zubat during battles, she acted as a support. Now, by using Grass Knot to entangle multiple enemies at once, she could also play the role of a controller in the team.
Since training various Grass-type moves and reaching a Proficient level in move mastery, Gloom had become an indispensable asset to Sato's team—a key pillar that held the group together.
Looking at his team, Sato felt that his offensive power was taking shape, but they lacked solid defense. For instance, when facing wild Pokémon, Sato himself had very limited means of self-defense. If he were caught off guard by an enemy, the outcome could be fatal.
To bolster the team's survivability, Sato had no choice but to rely on Gloom, who could now serve as his personal bodyguard with her control move, Grass Knot.
Originally, in the games, Grass Knot was a move that tripped the opponent by summoning grass to tie around their legs, with the damage being based on the opponent's weight—the heavier the Pokémon, the more damage it took.
(Note: Grass Knot is a Grass-type special attack move with variable power. It uses grass to trip the opponent, and its power increases based on the target's weight.)
However, in the real world, Grass Knot was much more than a simple tripping move. The green grass formed from Grass-type energy was extremely tough. Unless it was hit by Fire, Flying, or Poison-type attacks, breaking free required significant effort.
As such, in reality, Grass Knot had become a powerful move for Grass-type Pokémon to bind enemies, especially in forests where they could manipulate real grass to enhance the move's effectiveness.
Currently, Gloom could use Grass Knot to bind up to six enemies within a ten-meter radius. If her opponents lacked specific means to break free, they would be immobilized until the Grass-type energy forming the green grass dissipated, which typically lasted about ten seconds.
Like Zubat, Gloom had undergone significant changes after surviving in the wild with Sato for a week, and these changes were both internal and external.
The first change was in her personality. After gaining acceptance from her teammates, Gloom was no longer as insecure as before. She often smiled, especially when playing with the playful Nidoran. Additionally, the numerous victories she had achieved alongside Sato had greatly boosted her confidence.
The second change was in Gloom's physical growth. Originally, Gloom was about the size of a two- or three-month-old human baby—smaller and shorter than a typically developed Gloom. However, perhaps due to her improved mood, her body began to grow at a healthier rate.
During Sato's recovery period, he had also gathered animal droppings, dead branches, and leaves to create natural fertilizer for Gloom, helping her grow faster by providing essential nutrients.
With a positive mindset, plenty of sunlight and water, and fertile soil, Gloom's physical and mental health steadily improved, allowing her to grow significantly. Now, her size had reached that of an average Gloom. If she had previously been the size of a few-months-old baby, she was now about as big as a one-year-old child, standing roughly 75 centimeters tall.
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