章節 4: Chapter 4
"Flakes use Powder Snow."
Flakes spewed out a stream of snow, covering her opponent in snow. Typically, it should freeze or even slow down her opponent. Unfortunately, her opponent ran through the snow, cutting through it and knocking Flakes away. Getting to her feet, she waited for her trainer's following command.
"Flakes use Ice Shard!"
Flakes shot out a piece of sharp ice and flew towards her opponent.
"Blizzard, Lapis!"
A large gust of wind and snow gushed out of Lapis' mouth, flinging away Flakes' Ice Shard harmlessly into the ground. Flakes in the vicinity of the Blizzard were knocked powerlessly into the air and only fell to the ground when it stopped. Fortunately, the snow on the ground softened her landing as she fell face-first into it.
Haku ran towards Flakes and dug out Flakes, who fainted.
"What do you think went wrong?" Pryce asked.
"I should have used Protect to at least mitigate some damage. I need to find a strategy to counter those moves."
"Good answer. Snorunt at Level 20 had learnt Protect. Even if it takes some time to use it, it would at least keep her safe. So, what Level is Snorunt now?"
Haku took out a Pokedex that Pryce gave him and scanned Flakes.
"Level 30. The rate of levelling is quite slow now."
"Figures. You have only been fighting my Pokémon for the last year. If you fight other Pokémon, it would increase its experience gain."
"It appears that this training regime has to end now. Proficiency comes next as your experience is at a decent level for now. Use a Potion and heal Flakes' bruises, I'll wait for you at home."
Pryce recalled Lapis with her Pokeball and made his way home, leaving behind Haku and Flakes.
Defeated yet again, Haku took a Potion from his backpack and sprayed it on the bruises all over Flakes' body. A sense of defeat washed over Haku's heart.
For the last year, progress was slow. Haku's battling skills and sense were steadily increasing but were reaching their limits for what he could do. As much as he hated it, he was slow. After healing Flakes, they slowly made their way home with their heads hung low.
However, it would not be accurate to say that their efforts were in vain. It granted them some valuable experience against one of the best in the region. Under Pryce's guidance, Flakes grew a baffling 15 Levels within a year.
You see, Pokémon gaining experience points is a callous and lengthy process. For example, Flakes could have fought Lapis a thousand times and would level up a few times before slowing down. Due to a phenomenon known as saturation, a Pokémon would stop gaining experience from doing a particular action after a certain point. So, one could not continue fighting the same opponent repeatedly for experience points. Saturation also slows the levelling by exponentially increasing the experience points needed to level up after a level dependent on the species.
An example of this is some Bug Pokémon. Bug Pokémon such as Weedle and Caterpie require little experience to level up to 10. This is due to their low level of evolution and how numerous they are. Most Bug Trainers are comfortably able to level them up to around 20. However, after 20, their levelling speed sharply drops. Combined with their low lifespans, most Bug Pokémon would die before reaching Level 30. But, in exceptional cases, such as an Orange Talent Weedle, they can reach above level 30.
Another example is Larvitar. Falling under the category of Pseudo-Legendary, these fearsome Pokémon can level up quite comfortably to Level 50 to 60. To offset how powerful they are, they are tough to tame and are incredibly rare to even the most experienced Trainers. Most Larvitar is born with Blue Talents, with a few with Purple or Gold Talents. And thus, are highly sought after.
Pryce was at the front gate when they arrived home, with a letter in hand.
"Well, you as well as I know what this is. So, let's go in and open it."
As Haku walked to the living room, each step felt heavier and heavier. The weight of expectations that Haku had on his shoulders was immense. It was practically eating him inside out. What Pryce had in his hands were the results of the Trainer Course First Year Final Examination that Haku took recently. It would determine whether he would go into the first grade. However, that was different from what he had in mind. Top scorers could intern for the rest of the Course at Gyms or other Trainer facilities. Of course, if he made it, he would immediately apply for his grandfather's Gym.
Now, it was the moment of truth. Pryce opened the letter and saw its contents. A small smile appeared on his face.
"Congratulations, Haku. You have done it. Much better compared to my expectations. Your grade is amongst the top 1%. Definitely able to intern at my Gym."
Haku let loose his emotions with those words, hugging Flakes passionately and jumping up and down in joy.
My grandson had a hard time. How could I blame him? I have been hard on him for the last year, drilling into the techniques that brought him to this place. However, he needs to start developing his own. I am sure that my techniques don't suit his taste. It may be time to give him a reward.
"Haku!"
Snapping to attention, Haku stopped in his tracks and faced Pryce.
"I'll get you a little reward for Flakes and yourself."
Excited by those words, Haku pulled a chair and sat on it with Flakes on his lap. Within a few minutes, Pryce returned with a stone in hand. It was not any ordinary stone. It was a Dawn Stone, an extremely high-quality one at that.
"I trust that you know what to do with this. Don't worry there is something else I have for you personally."
Out came a small black card from Pryce's wallet that was handed to a bewildered Haku.
"I'll fill you on the details but this is a debit card. Essentially, it is linked to your savings account and you can spend money… As long as you don't break the limit. It will be used for your future career's spending."
When Haku stood and received both rewards, he turned towards Flakes.
"Ready pal?"
A happy small grunt from Flakes readied Haku. As Haku knelt down towards Flakes, Flakes looked at the stone curiously. She had seen what she would become if she evolved, and that thought excited her.
Previously, Pryce had asked her what she wanted to be, and she answered with the majestic-looking Froslass rather than the ball-shaped ice cube known as Glalie. She was mischievous but compassionate to others. She would laugh at small slipups or embarrassing moments but comfort Haku whenever he was feeling particular down.
Both Haku and Pryce were enamoured at sight. Even for Pryce, Pokémon evolution constantly fascinated him. The moment her hands touched the stone, her body turned into a white light. Soon, the white light morphed around her, surrounding her like a cocoon. A sense of strength flowed through her veins as she felt anew. Soon, her body stopped changing as her evolution was complete. With her new hands, she pushed herself out of the cocoon with a strong grunt. Out came Flakes with a new body, now standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Haku.
Her evolution was complete as she evolved into a Froslass. And what was the first thing she did? She went to hug Haku tightly.
"Now that the fun is over. Prepare yourself Haku, I will bring you to the Pokemon Center 3 days later. So, take 3 days to formulate a plan. You will buy a few TMs and Berries for Pokeblocks for Flakes' new body."
Froslass (Flakes)
Level 30
Status: Excited.
Moves Learnt: Astonish, Crunch (New), Destiny Bond (New), Double Team (New), Headbutt, Ice Fang (New), Leer, Powder Snow, Protect, Ice Shard, Icy Wind.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票