บท 26: Chapter 26: Skill Training 2

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What is the principle behind Pokémon using different moves?

This question had long puzzled Sato. After serious thought and careful observation of Pokémon, he attempted to explain it by focusing on two aspects: elemental energy and the Pokémon's stamina/energy.

As we all know, there are currently 18 different types of Pokémon, so Sato naturally hypothesized that there are 18 distinct types of elemental energy existing in the world. He proposed that Pokémon moves are simply flexible applications of these elemental energies, akin to magic spells in a fantasy world. These moves didn't exist on their own but were created by the Pokémon manipulating specific types of energy.

The reason Pokémon can use moves of various types is because they can sense these different energies in the world around them. By expending their energy, they can perform these moves.

A simple analogy is that Pokémon are like wizards, and their stamina/energy is akin to magical power. They use their energy (magical power) to manipulate the elemental energies in the world and create a variety of moves.

Now, how can the proficiency of a Pokémon's moves be improved? This question became Sato's new challenge to solve.

From his observations so far, Sato discovered there are no shortcuts for improving a Pokémon's proficiency with moves. The only way is through diligent repetition and practice, slowly but surely increasing their understanding of each move, like water slowly wearing away stone.

If there is one effective method Sato currently has to speed up the process of improving move proficiency, it would be the PokeBlocks in his possession. The medium- to high-quality PokeBlocks he held could quickly restore his Pokémon's stamina, indirectly increasing the number of moves his Pokémon could practice.

In 29 minutes and 30 seconds, under Sato's instructions, Zubat managed to use Protect a total of 10 times.

However, from the data collected during this training session, Sato observed that Zubat's progress was minimal. The green protective shield's range hadn't changed at all. The only noticeable improvement was that the side effect duration of the move had decreased slightly, from 3 minutes to 2 minutes and 57 seconds—a reduction of 3 seconds.

During this time, Zubat's stamina had been severely depleted. After using Protect 10 times, its stamina was nearly exhausted. Seeing this, Sato had no choice but to let Zubat consume a medium-quality PokeBlock to restore its energy.

"Judging by Zubat's current stamina, it could use Protect a maximum of five times in a single battle. And that's assuming it doesn't use any other moves. So, Protect can only be used at critical moments during a fight. Now I understand why the price for Protect is so low," Sato thought as he jotted the data into his notebook.

After confirming that Zubat's interval between using Protect was about 3 minutes, Sato ended that portion of the training and moved on to other moves. He decided to have Zubat only use Protect once every 3 minutes.

Once Zubat's energy had sufficiently recovered, Sato had it practice another move it had recently learned: Gust. Following Sato's command, Zubat expended stamina, drawing upon the Flying-type energy in the environment, and skillfully used it to perform Gust.

In no time, a small whirlwind, about 0.3 meter in diameter and less than a meter tall, appeared before Sato.

As a Flying-type Pokémon, Zubat clearly had a more intuitive grasp of Flying-type energy, so it was much more adept at using Gust compared to the Normal-type move Protect. With its relatively practiced control of Flying-type energy, the miniature whirlwind grew slightly larger just before it dissipated.

The miniature whirlwind created by Zubat lasted for about a minute, moving about one meter before Zubat lost control, and it quickly disappeared. After resting slightly for about 2 seconds, Zubat was able to use Gust again.

After Zubat used Gust continuously about 20 times, its stamina was showing signs of depletion.

"The activation time is around 1.1 seconds, the power level is extremely low, and the maximum movement distance is 1 meters (which is the attack range). The cooldown time is 2 seconds, and the current stamina limit allows for 20 uses. It seems like some intense special training is necessary. With this level of proficiency, using this move in a real battle would be akin to sending it to its doom." Sato noted the data in his notebook, looking somewhat resigned.

Of course, considering that Protect and Gust were both moves Zubat had just learned to use via TM, Sato wasn't too disappointed. Even for geniuses, instant mastery was impossible.

"You've done well, Zubat. From now on, your primary training task is to master Gust. In future battles, it will be an essential move, so you must practice it well." Sato put down his pen and said seriously to Zubat.

Zubat, clearly aware of its poor mastery of Gust, was quite embarrassed by the barely powerful winds it produced. Hearing Sato's words, he quickly nodded, signaling that he would work hard to train.

For the next part of Zubat's Protect and Gust training, Sato could only quietly observe, providing training supplements and encouragement when necessary.

After watching for a while, Sato noticed a few unnecessary movements Zubat made while using these two moves. Zubat liked to violently shake his two tail wings and tilt his head backward when performing the moves.

These unnecessary movements caused slight instability in Zubat's body, forcing it to flap its wings more frequently to maintain balance. As a result, the moves lacked consistency, and their duration was shortened.

After identifying these problems, Sato had Zubat pause and pointed out the issues. Zubat began consciously correcting its body movements following Sato's suggestions.

With persistence and careful correction, and with the help of Sato's energy-replenishing PokeBlocks and solid advice, Zubat gradually increased its mastery of both moves through repeated practice.

At the same time, the data in Sato's notebook steadily grew. Each time Sato noticed an improvement in Zubat's performance, he praised it, which in turn motivated Zubat even more.

This mechanical style of training was undoubtedly tedious, but both Sato and Zubat possessed the determination to endure such monotony for the sake of strength, and they found enjoyment in the process. As they focused on their training, time quietly passed by.

Before long, it was nearly 9:00 PM, and Sato decided to end Zubat's 6-hour-long training session.

During this training session, according to Sato's data, Zubat had used Protect 43 times and Gust 289 times. This session also cost Sato 12 medium-quality PokeBlocks.

From this training, Zubat's proficiency with both moves had improved significantly, especially Gust, which was the most frequently used.

Currently, Zubat's Protect move could now cover an area of 0.6 meters, the duration had increased to 3.2 seconds, and the cooldown had shortened to 2 minutes and 50 seconds.

As for Gust, the activation time had decreased to 0.7 seconds, the whirlwind's diameter had increased to 0.8 meters, the height to 1.4 meters, the attack range had extended to 1.5 meters, and the power had improved to the point where it barely qualified as a small-scale whirlwind.

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