章節 41: Chapter 41: Sludge Bombs
Komatsu, Thunderstorm, and Melissa all headed off to the lecture hall to use the TMs they had obtained earlier. Kane, however, was the only one who remained behind, standing alone on the training ground, watching his two **Gastly** battling it out. One of them, naturally, was **Ditto** in disguise, mimicking the other **Gastly** for the sake of training.
The focus of the training session was on honing the most commonly used skills of **Gastly**: **Hypnosis**, **Night Shade**, **Confuse Ray**, **Curse**, **Embago**, and the recently learned **Shadow Ball**. Although **Shadow Ball** had just been added to the **Gastly's** arsenal, the technique still required some refinement. Similarly, the **Embargo** move was not at its peak, meaning most of the **Gastly's** battle tactics relied on the combination of **Night Shade**, **Hypnosis**, and **Confuse Ray** for maximum effectiveness.
However, the issue was that Kane's **Gastly** was meant to be more of an assassin in battle—a fast, unpredictable force that could deliver devastating, lethal blows in a single strike. This current strategy, while effective in prolonged encounters, didn't provide that lethal, single-hit power Kane envisioned for his Pokémon. Kane understood that in battle, surprise speed and devastating damage in one blow were key for **Gastly's** success.
"**Dodge and use shadow ball**!" Kane commanded.
At this stage, Kane's focus was on two main goals: increasing the speed of **Gastly's** movements and improving both the power and precision of its **Shadow Ball** attack. Training like this was a gradual process—step by step, repetition after repetition. His immediate aim was to have **Gastly** execute **Shadow Ball** with pinpoint accuracy and near-perfect proficiency. The move needed to be as natural as breathing for his Pokémon, to the point where it could summon the attack as easily as extending a hand.
Moreover, there was another critical aspect to consider: the condensation of the **Shadow Ball** itself. Typically, a **Shadow Ball** was a black orb of condensed ghostly energy that exploded upon impact, damaging the opponent. However, if Kane could train **Gastly** to condense that energy into a more concentrated, elongated projectile—something resembling a needle or a missile—then the damage potential would increase exponentially. This would be due to the principle of "smaller force area, stronger pressure." Essentially, the more condensed the energy, the more devastating the impact when it struck.
In his previous life, Kane had conducted countless experiments with both **Shadow Ball** and **Sludge Bomb**—another powerful move that involved explosive, poisonous projectiles. These trials had taught him that the mechanics of both moves were remarkably similar. Both required the Pokémon to throw condensed energy or poison at their opponent, followed by an explosive impact that spread the effects.
Even though Kane had the **Sludge Bomb** TM disc in his possession, he hadn't allowed his **Gastly** to learn it yet. The reason was simple: **Gastly** hadn't fully mastered the other moves in its arsenal, and learning too many skills at once could dilute its overall effectiveness. Overloading a Pokémon with too many techniques often led to the old saying, "biting off more than you can chew." Kane preferred precision and mastery over sheer volume.
Furthermore, while **Gastly** was a Ghost and Poison-type Pokémon, it was clear that its ghostly nature dominated its overall identity. The poison aspect of its abilities remained dormant, like an untapped resource waiting to be awakened. As things stood, **Sludge Bomb** would likely be far less effective for **Gastly** than **Shadow Ball** was, at least until that dormant poison attribute could be fully unlocked and utilized.
For Kane, it wasn't just about teaching **Sludge Bomb**—it was about awakening **Gastly's** poison core. Every Pokémon was different, and the same move could vary greatly in power depending on the Pokémon that used it. In Kane's previous life, he had trained a **Drapion** and an **Ariados**, two Poison-types whose **Sludge Bomb** attacks were absolutely devastating. These Pokémon could mix their highly toxic venom into the attack, creating an explosion of poisonous sludge that corroded the opponent's body and seeped into their bloodstream. In such cases, the poisoned state was guaranteed, a 100% certainty.
On the other hand, for most Poison-type Pokémon, **Sludge Bomb** was a system-learned skill. These Pokémon had venom sacs to store their natural toxins, and while they could mix their poison into the attack, the toxicity wasn't as strong. This meant that **Sludge Bomb** from these Pokémon might cause general damage, but poisoning the opponent was far less certain, relying more on the power of the explosion itself.
Then there were Pokémon that weren't even poison type Pokémon that could learn sludge bomb, like **Parasect** and **Tangela** In Kane's opinion, it made little sense for them to learn such a move, as they lacked the natural poison reserves to make the attack potent. For them, **Sludge Bomb** was a mere energy-based attack, with minimal chances of causing actual poisoning.
What made **Gastly** unique, though, was its poison core. Unlike other Poison-types, **Gastly** didn't have a venom sac. Instead, it's very life force contained a small, dormant poison core that was simply waiting to be activated. This was why most people only thought of **Gastly** as a Ghost-type and often forgot about its Poison-type attributes.
Now, Kane's task was to activate that poison core and unlock **Gastly's** full potential as a dual-type Pokémon. But activating such a core required the assistance of other Poison-type Pokémon, and unfortunately, there were no Poison-types available at the **Ecruteak Gym**—none that would be of any use, at least.
As Kane pondered these issues, Komatsu, Thunderstorm, and Melissa returned to the training ground after practicing with their TM. Komatsu, ever observant, noticed that Kane hadn't yet used **Sludge Bomb** TM.
"Kane, why haven't you had **Gastly** learn the TM yet?" Komatsu asked curiously.
"Not in the mood," Kane replied, still deep in thought, his gaze locked on the battling **Gastly** and **Ditto**.
Melissa, however, was less patient. "Who do you think you are, Kane? Komatsu is just trying to help you out, and if you don't start practicing the skills on that TM, you're going to hold us all back! We won't be able to challenge Bell Tower again if you don't shape up. Are you deliberately trying to drag us down?"
Kane sneered, his lips curling into a faint, mocking smile. "Heh..."
Melissa flushed with anger at Kane's dismissive attitude, her frustration boiling over. But before she could snap back at him, Kane turned to her, his expression cold.
"If you don't want me holding you back, then help me out. Get me two pure Poison-type Pokémon, and then we'll talk."
His words hung in the air as he walked off toward his **Gastly** once again, leaving Melissa fuming behind him. "Who does he think he is?!" she muttered under her breath, seething.
Komatsu and Thunderstorm, on the other hand, were more familiar with Kane's personality. They knew he wasn't the type to waste time on pointless arguments. He had his own reasons for doing things, and complaining wouldn't change his mind. They decided to focus on their own training instead.
For the next two days, Komatsu, Thunderstorm, and Melissa all worked hard on mastering their new skills. Komatsu's improvement was clear, but Kane still hadn't used the **Sludge Bomb** TM. He didn't seem in a hurry. After all, he planned to stay at the **Ecruteak Gym** for three years. This was just the first month. There was plenty of time.
During those two days, Kane poured all his energy into training **Gastly**. The move **Shadow Ball** was finally becoming second nature to the Pokémon, allowing it to hurl the ghostly projectile with ease. Even the **Embargo** move, while not as effective as it would have been with a Dark type, was now connecting smoothly with **Night Shade**, achieving a perfect synergy between the two moves. This was the limit for a non-Dark type like **Gastly**, but it was still a significant achievement.
The real challenge, however, lay in refining **Shadow Ball** further. Kane had just begun training **Gastly** to condense the attack into a more potent, fusiform shape—a needle of dark energy capable of piercing through defenses.
Although **Gastly** was now ready to learn **Sludge Bomb**, Kane wasn't rushing things. He knew that without activating **Gastly's** poison core, the move would lack its true power. Even if the core was activated later, **Gastly** would already have developed its own technique for using the skill without tapping into its full poison potential. This would make it difficult to integrate the poison core's toxins into the attack, turning the poison attribute into a mere accessory instead of the powerful asset it should be.
As Kane continued his solitary training, Melissa couldn't take it any longer. She could only be at the **Ecruteak Gym** for two months and didn't want to waste any more time. With a huff of frustration, she approached Kane later that day.
"Here," she said, thrusting two Poké Balls into Kane's hand. "These are two pure Poison-type **Swalot
You can borrow them for two days, but that's it. My father just bought them for me from the black market so i need them back."
Her irritation was clear. While the cost of the Swalot wasn't significant for a gym leader like her father, it still wasn't pleasant to feel like Kane was dictating her actions. But Kane simply nodded, taking the Poké Balls without further comment.
Melissa frowned, still upset. "Now that you have what you need, you'd better start learning the TM. We don't have time to waste."
Kane, however, was calm. "Don't worry," he replied, before turning away and heading off with the Swalot. He preferred to train alone, away from prying eyes.
"Hmph," Melissa muttered angrily, but she knew there was nothing more to say.
Kane made his way to a remote corner near Burning Tower and released the two Swalot. It was time to begin the special training that would awaken Gastly's poison core. The real work was about to begin.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票