Chapter 133: Thunder Punch and Dig
His level rose again, and he learned the Dark-type move Pursuit. However, it did little to alleviate the awkwardness of his current move pool. Cursing the designers who had given the Sceptile line such a strange stat distribution and move progression, he decided to focus on what he could control.
As the sky grew completely dark, the sleepy Lapras found a cluster of rocks to rest in for the night.
"You should sleep too," Ryu said, stroking her cool, smooth head. Sprigatito was already fast asleep on the rock beside him.
Ryu, however, stayed awake to keep watch. He used the quiet time to patiently sense the other elemental energies within his body. With him consciously suppressing his dominant Grass-type energy, the Electric and Psychic energies finally reached a level where he could use them.
'Let's try Thunder Punch,' he thought, clenching his fist.
Sizzle...
Subtle electricity pulsed around his right hand. He increased the output, and with a zap, a flash of electricity streaked through the air.
"It worked."
"Corsola?" a soft, tender voice sounded from below. A small, pink creature had emerged from the water. It was a Corsola, a Water/Rock-type Pokémon known for its cute appearance and gentle, yet brave, nature.
"Hello there~" Ryu said, relieved. Pink Corsola were easy to get along with.
"Corsola?"
"I'm practicing moves," he explained.
"Corsola~" The little Pokémon seemed to remember something, then smiled at him. It began to move its short legs, and in just a few seconds, it had dug a small hole in the rock.
"Corsola~ (Like this!)"
"You want to teach me?"
"Corsola."
"Thank you. I'm very willing to learn," Ryu's expression lit up. Dig was an incredibly versatile move.
Seeing that he was friendly, the other five Corsola in the colony cautiously came closer, and soon, four of them were demonstrating the move for him, while the other two tried to learn alongside him. After two or three hours, however, he had made no progress. The Ground-type energy in his body was still too weak.
"Corsola," one of them said, gently encouraging him.
"Thank you," he said, rubbing its head. "Oh, right. Wait a moment." He went to his backpack and took out the box of macarons. He gave one to each of the kind Pokémon.
"Corsola~" they chirped, their eyes lighting up as they tasted the sweet treat.
"Actually," Ryu suggested, "you could consider interacting with humans. You're so cute, they might often bring you delicious food." He knew that in this peaceful era, being a human's Pokémon was often a much more comfortable life than being a wild one.
"Corsola," one of them replied.
"But you still need to be careful," he added. "There are bad people among humans, too. You must distinguish carefully."
[Inorin Note:
If you wish to support me so I can continue to survive and afford proper food, you can join my membership on Patreon [patreon.com/InorinTL]. Be sure to check out "The Founding Pillars"—a special, limited-time tier that offers all the benefits of "The Plot Uncoverer" at a discounted price! Slots are limited, so grab yours before they run out. Besides membership, you can also donate via Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/inorintl].
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]